The ESSENTIAL Football Show 
Top 51 Cap Space (per Spotrac): 2026: $11.8 million | 2027: - $2.0 million | 2028: $141.5 million
Draft Picks: 2027: 1-4, 6-7, MIN 4 | 2028: 1-7
Football Decision Makers: GM Dan Morgan | HC Dave Canales | OC Brad Idzik | DC Ejiro Evero | ST Tracy Smith
State of the Team
As I look at both sides of the Carolina depth chart, I find myself thinking that former linebacker/current GM Dan Morgan is doing a pretty damn good job. Since taking over as the head man in 2024 - notably, after the Bryce Young trade/pick - Morgan has upgraded the talent and changed the vibe on this roster.
And that vibe - again, excepting a quarterback Morgan did not pick - is BIG and PHYSICAL.
The names that fit this designation - whether it’s receiver Tet McMillan, edge rushers Nic Scourton or Jaelen Phillips, or this year’s first-round pick, offensive tackle Monroe Freeling - pop off the page. Heck, even Jalen Coker, an undrafted free agent in Morgan’s first draft class, brings juice in a 6’3, 215 pound package, and even players such as linebacker Devin Lloyd, who I would describe more as “all-around athlete” rather than big/physical, is not lacking in those traits.
There’s a caveat to this; first off, when I started going through the cap numbers, and saw that the Panthers are $2 million OVER the cap for 2027, the ability to stack this much talent makes a shade more sense. This is the version of Carolina, more or less, that we are going to get for the next two years.
The big pivot point is the quarterback; Bryce Young got to go out on a high note, reminding the NFL world what his better days look like in a close playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but for the rest of the roster to matter, Young has to play that way on a more consistent basis. Whether head coach Dave Canales - and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, who will take over play-calling - can get that out of Young is question number one in Carolina for 2026.
Offense
The Panthers might not have a truly elite player on the offense, but there is plenty of “plus” talent surrounding Bryce Young.
It starts up front, where the Panthers responded to left tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s knee injury by signing Rasheed Walker to a relatively team-friendly deal (Walker is by no means a standout and did not play his best ball in the back half of 2025, but he started a lot of games at left tackle for a good Green Bay offense the last three years and didn’t tank the operation) and drafting Monroe Freeling in the first round. With Taylor Moton, who quietly continues to be a “plus” player at right tackle, and the power-blocking duo of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis at the guard spots, Carolina should be pretty darn good on the offensive line, even if you’re hoping for “adequate” play as the high end for center Luke Fortner.
The backfield takes a hit with the departure of Rico Dowdle, but Chuba Hubbard is a productive back, Trevor Etienne could take on a larger role in his second season, and in theory, Jonathon Brooks could provide something coming off his latest knee injury (though that’s more a hope at this point). At tight end, they lack a true field-tilter, but they do have options; Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders are both capable receivers, and Mitchell Evans brings a bit more as a blocker who can catch the ball when it comes his way.
The position group with the least depth is the wide receiver room, but the Panthers have an outstanding player there in Tetairoa McMillan, who is coming off a terrific rookie year, and a strong complement in Jalen Coker, a former undrafted free agent from Holy Cross who just continues to show up and make plays when given the opportunity. Behind them are two players with big-time juice: their third-round pick, Chris Braswell, and Xavier Legette, who has disappointed as the 32nd pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, but still possesses the height-weight-speed traits to contribute in the NFL if it all comes together for him.
Overall, it’s a good group, one that potentially sets Young up for more success in 2026. However, Young’s play remains an open question, and unlike some players I’ve mentioned, whose Week 1 film will be critical to watch for one reason or another, it’s going to take longer to gauge where Young is at in the new season, because we’ve seen he can flash for a game.
The problem is that Young has not consistently strung those games together. The Panthers won the NFC South at 8-9 despite getting off to a HORRENDOUS start, but even in the four games after their Week 14 bye, Young did not exactly inspire confidence as the Panthers lost to the Saints, narrowly beat the Bucs, got walloped by the Seahawks, and then dropped the regular season finale, a rematch with Tampa Bay, in a game that was depressing on most fronts from a watchability standpoint.
Young lacks ideal traits - to say the least - but despite that, I think he is a pretty fun watch. He has enough mobility to make plays with his legs despite his lack of size, and when he’s rolling, he plays with great anticipation and ball placement. It’s one I would be wrong on - I thought Young’s career was dead in the water after his rookie year, before he was benched in his second season - but I’ll take being wrong and getting to watch more entertaining film if it plays that way.
Defense
The sack numbers don’t jump off the page, but I struggle to think of a defensive lineman who was more physically dominant than Derrick Brown in 2025. Perhaps there’s some bias there, but whether it was in the beginning of the season (Brown’s play in the 30-0 loss to Atlanta sticks out in my mind) or down the stretch, Brown was manhandling opposing linemen even when the rest of the defense around him fell apart.
Brown should have a heck of a lot more help in 2026. First off, Nic Scourton, who I thought did a really nice job as an edge defender with size, will have a chance to grow on his rookie performance, and he will also be joined by “plus” edge defender Jaelen Phillips, who signed a massive deal in free agency. Those three players should be the foundation for a strong run defense, and with players like defensive tackle Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton as quality run defenders on the front line, Devin Lloyd should have a lot of freedom to run and hit as the group around him takes on blockers. Add in the potential for Princely Umanmielen to add more production in Year Two, and it’s pretty easy to get excited about this defensive front, even if the second off-ball-linebacker spot is a bit underwhelming with Trevin Wallace likely to start.
The back end is similarly exciting; it starts with “plus” cornerback Jaycee Horn, who has played 31 games over the past two seasons after injuries slowed him early in his career. Horn has the physical traits and movement skills to be an outstanding coverage player; it’s just a matter of consistency and availability, and all of that is pointed in the right direction. (Note: Horn did struggle with missed tackles in 2025, racking up 14 misses for a 27.5% rate, per Pro Football Reference, but his 2024 number is 7 misses for a 9.3% rate.)
At safety, I’m sure some folks would have Tre’von Moehrig as a “plus” defender, and while I have him as “solid”, he is closer to getting bumped up a grade than slipping down; Moehrig’s versatility and instincts near the line make him a great piece to have in any defense.
The other three slated starters - cornerback Mike Jackson, nickel Chau Smith-Wade, and safety Nick Scott - are more “adequate” pieces filling in around them, though Jackson was at least “solid” last season and might deserve a grade bump even if he doesn’t have a long track record of playing at that level.
To put a cherry on top, Carolina has an experienced coordinator in Ejiro Evero, who has the most talent he’s had to work with in years. I have long held Evero in extremely high regard for his ability to lead a high-end defense in Denver despite working in an utterly bizarre situation as the Nathaniel Hackett/Russell Wilson saga played out; the fact that the Broncos defense was a buttoned-up unit early in the season, when the offense was struggling to get lined up properly or to snap the ball on time, stuck out in a big way, and I’m excited to see what Evero does now that he’s working with some big-time talent rather than making up for deficiencies.
Final Takeaways
The Bryce Young experience has an additional X-Factor thrown in, as Brad Idzik will take over play-calling from Dave Canales. In theory, things will be similar, but figuring out who is going to do what during the week, and how things will be handled if a game go sideways, could take some work.
At the end of the day, I think the NFC South is there for the taking, and the Panthers have every shot to repeat, particularly if Young plays to the top of his game on a more consistent basis. If not, then maybe this becomes a destination for a retread veteran in 2027; but it’s June, so it’s a better time to dream on the positive of what Young could be, even if acknowledging that is a very uncertain bet.