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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/Cyberjag on 2026-03-05 20:39:16+00:00.

Back in August there was a sense of guarded optimism in Pantherland. Head Coach Dave Canales was entering his second year, and General Manager Dan Morgan looked like he once again had a great Free Agency and a draft with strong potential. Quarterback Bryce Young had come alive at the end of 2024, and a lot of fans were hoping he could build on that. No one thought we were ready for the Super Bowl, but a lot of us felt that we were going to be at least a .500 team, which would mark a big improvement from the 5-12 season we had in 2024.

Unfortunately, the team stumbled out of the gate, losing badly to teams that were a lot better than we thought they would be. Despite that, the defense was playing well and the running game asserted itself in a big way, and we ended the season with a win every other week en route to a 9-8 record, and the playoffs! Consistency will be the theme of the Panthers for 2026. We lost to some teams we probably should have beaten, but pulled off a few impressive upsets. The talent is (almost) there, now the Panthers need to build on what they did this past year.

2025 Record:

W-L-T: 8-9

Home: 5-3

Away: 3-6

Division: 3-3

2025 Draft Class

In 2000, the Panthers drafted Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins, and Steve Smith with their first three picks. Between them they had four All Pro first team selections and 10 pro bowls. A lot of fans consider that the best draft in franchise history, but it’s going to be challenged by what we did in 2025. Not only did we pick up some guys who look like they could match the accolades the 2000 group got, we managed to find value in every round, and every single rookie taken got meaningful snaps. I’ve been a Panthers fan since the franchise was born, and can’t ever remember that happening.

Round 1: Tetairoa McMillan – WR – Arizona

  • 70 rec – 1014 rec yds, 7 TD
  • Grade: A+
  • While a lot of the fan base was expecting Jalon Walker or another defender, Morgan instead went with the top receiver on the board. McMillan didn’t disappoint, quickly establishing himself as WR1 and setting a franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie. He won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. I thought this was a good pick at the time, now I think it was a great one.

Round 2: Nic Scourton – OLB – Texas A&M

  • 47 tackles, five sacks
  • Grade: A
  • Scourton showed flashes immediately, and when Patrick Jones II went down with a back injury, Scourton started the remaining eight games and tied for the team lead in sacks. His nonstop motor earned him plenty of playing time. In the edge rotation he lined up for 67.8% of the snaps. He was a solid pick, a grade A pick at the time and he backed that up.

Round 3: Princely Umanmielen – OLB – Ole Miss

  • 24 tackles, one and a half sacks
  • Grade: B
  • Just as we did with Scourton, we traded up to take Umanmielen. He looked like a better pass rusher than Scourton initially, but his run defense is still developing. That limited his involvement, as he only lined up for 22% of the team’s snaps.

Round 4: Trevor Etienne – RB – Georgia

  • 20 rushes for 94 yards, 3 receptions for 13 yards, 20 punt returns for 163 yards, 31 kickoff returns for 733 yards.
  • Grade: B
  • With Rico Dowdle and Chubba Hubbard ahead of him on the depth chart, he was never going to get a lot of opportunities. However, his return skills locked down the starting returner role, providing the bulk of his 1,003 all purpose yards.

Round 4: Lathan Ransom – S – Ohio State

  • 51 tackles, one sack, one interception
  • Grade: A
  • Ransom started the season like he was shot out of a cannon, earning six starts and setting a nasty tone in run defense. He was a solid blitz, but did have occasional lapses in coverage. He looks like a long term starter already.

Round 5: Cam Jackson – DT – Florida

  • Nine tackles
  • Grade: B
  • This was always going to be a developmental year for Jackson, but he did provide nice depth and moved the pile when asked.

Round 5: Mitchell Evans – TE – Notre Dame

  • 19 rec for 171 yds, 2 TD
  • Grade: B+
  • Evans initially looked like he was going to be another steal, but he cooled off a bit as the season went on. He did catch 76% of his targets, and was a capable and willing blocker. He could be a TE1 someday, but is already a significant contributor.

Round 6: Jimmy Horn Jr. – WR – Colorado

  • 11 rec for 108 yds
  • Grade: B
  • Horn showed some nice flashes, but he also had his share of rookie mistakes. He’s a project still, but one that could add another dimension to our passing attack if he works out.

UDFA: Ryan Fitzgerald - K - Florida State

  • 24/29 on Field Goals, with a long of 57. 27/30 on PATs.
  • Grade: A
  • Any UDFA that works out almost has to be given a grade of A, but Fitzgerald would have merited that as a day three pick. He had four game winning field goals, which ties for the most in the NFL by a rookie since 1970. He’s going to be our kicker for a long time.

2025 Free Agent Signings/Trade Additions

Trevon Moehrig – S – 3yr/$51mil

Moehrig was signed to replace Xavier Woods, who was allowed to become a free agent. He ranked second on the Raiders with 104 tackles, five for loss, with a sack and two interceptions. And he is only 25. Moehrig immediately because a leader of the defense, and registered 103 tackles, 14 for loss, with three sacks and an interception.

Bobby Brown III – DT – 3yr/$21mil For the second year in a row the Panthers signed a DT away from the Rams. Brown was supposedly going to be our Nose Tackle, but he also lined up a lot at DE for us. At 6-foot-4, 328 pounds, he proved to be a big help to a historically bad run defense. He’s also only 24. On the season, Brown started five games, registering 31 tackles with three for loss and half a sack.

Pat Jones II – OLB – 2yr/$20mil

In keeping with the theme of trying the same thing and hoping for different results, we signed an edge rusher away from the Vikings for the second year in a row. Jones started out ok, but got hurt and in the middle of October he was put on IR for back surgery. In the four games he appeared, he had a sack with nine tackles, four for loss.

Tershawn Wharton – DT – 3yr/$54mil

After losing out on Milton Williams, Dan Morgan turned to Turk Wharton from the Chiefs to get some more interior pressure. Wharton had nine starts, 36 tackles, and two sacks. In keeping with Morgan’s team building, Wharton is 27 now and in his prime as a player.

Rico Dowdle – RB – 1yr/$3mil Dowdle was coming off a 1,079 yard season in Dallas and was looked at as insurance if Jonathon Brooks failed to return from injury. He proved to be a wise signing, as he started 11 games, rushed for 1,076 yards on 236 attempts, and caught 39 passes for an additional 297 yards. He faded a bit down the stretch, but overall he was our most effective offensive player. He was given the opportunity to start in week four and put together back to back 230+ yard games. He ended up starting nine games.

Christian Rozeboom – LB – 1yr/$2.5mil

Rozeboom was originally signed as a depth piece behind Josey Jewell, but when Jewell was forced into retirement by concussions, he was pushed into the starting lineup. He started 15 games and made 122 tackles, with two sacks. But while the numbers look good, he was a liability in coverage.

Sam Martin – P – 1yr/$3mil

After losing Johnny Hecker in Free Agency, we signed the former Bills punter to a one year deal. He averaged 47.2 yards per punt, which was slightly better than Hecker’s 2024 number, but was never intended to be a long term answer at the position.

We also re-signed our own free agents in Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn, Nick Scott, Tommy Tremble, David Moore, Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, and Austin Corbett.

Season Recap

First Quarter, 1-3

The Panthers season started in Jacksonville against a Jaguars unit that was coming off a four win season. They also had a new coach, and apparently a new attitude. Fans were anxious about the defense, and it held up on the first drive, holding the Jags to a field goal. The Panthers answered with one of their own, and then forced a punt. On the next drive Bryce Young was intercepted, and the Jacksonville offense took command. They scored touchdowns on their next two drives, sandwiching a Panthers nine play, 39 yard drive that ended in a punt. Young fumbled on the Panthers final drive of the half, allowing the Jags to get another field goal. With a halftime score of 20-3 and a lifeless offense, the feeling in Carolina was despair. The Jags were supposed to be bad, but we were worse. The defenses held for both teams in the third, and in the fourth the Panthers finally got their first touchdown. The Jaguars notched two more field goals, for a final score of 26-10.

While it was a disappointing loss, the Cardinals were next on the menu and that offered a little hope. Over the years, Arizona has always been one of those opponents we just seem to win against, even when we shouldn’t. That wasn’t going to happen this time though. On the third play of the game, Young was strip-sacked by Josh Sweat. Zaven Collins picked up the fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. On our next drive, Young seemed to shake off the fumble and had a few nice completions before throwing an interception. This turnover resulted in a short drive by the Cardinals and a field goal. The Panthers needed a spark, and got it from a rookie as Travis Etienne retur…

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