On the one hand, the 2025 Panthers captured their first NFC South championship since 2015. On the other hand, Carolina's brutal -69 point differential was the 10th-worst mark in the league and reflects the reality that this team wasn't exactly, you know, overly good at any single facet of playing football.

• 2025: 8-9 (-69 point differential, preseason win total: 6.5)
• Points per game: 18.3 (27th)
• EPA per pass: +0.01 (25th)
• EPA per rush: -0.07 (18th)
• Points per game against: 22.4 (15th)
• EPA per pass against: +0.13 (24th)
• EPA per rush against: -0.03 (27th)

Looking ahead to 2026, the front office has the No. 19, 51 and 83 draft picks along with good-not-great available cap space to work with. Unfortunately, there are more than a few roster holes to plug for a team that hasn't posted a winning record since 2017.

What do the Panthers Need to do Ahead of the 2026 NFL Season?

Need 1: Pass rush

This group simply wasn't good enough in 2025 anyway you cut it:

• Pressure rate: 29.6% (31st)
• Sacks: 30 (tied for 28th)
• Havoc rate: 27.3% (31st)
• PFF pass rush grade: 59.9 (31st)

Overall, the defense didn't have a single EDGE defender graded higher than 78th by PFF in terms of pass rushing. Derrick Brown is a beast on the interior, but otherwise more capable bodies need to be added to the trenches.

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Need 2: Offensive line

The group as a whole dealt with some serious injuries in 2025, as guards Chandler Zavala (calf) and Brady Christensen (Achilles) both ended the season on injured reserve. Still, the overall performance suffered in a meaningful way: PFF graded this offensive line as just the 20th-ranked unit in 2025 after they finished eighth in 2024.

While starting guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt are locked into big-money deals, center Cade Mays (12 starts in 2025) and do-it-all guard/center Austin Corbett (11 starts) are both hitting the open market. Credit to the team for spending up on this group over the years—only the Chiefs and Vikings have a more expensive offensive line entering 2026—but Carolina has also only drafted two offensive linemen in Rounds 1-3 during the last five drafts combined, which is tied for the third-lowest mark in the league.

Need 3: Pass catcher

It's easy to feel good about Tetairoa McMillan being the franchise's No. 1 receiver of the present after his impressive rookie campaign. Additionally, exclusive-rights free agent Jalen Coker is someone who should absolutely be brought back; Coker's blowup 9-134-1 performance in the team's Wild Card loss to the Rams demonstrated the reality that he is clearly the team's second-best wide receiver whenever healthy enough to suit up.

But after that? Yikes:

• Former first-rounder Xavier Legette has totaled just 860 yards during his first two seasons.
• Backups David Moore and Hunter Renfrow are hitting free agency, leaving pint-sized gadget Jimmy Horn as the only somewhat viable depth piece.
• The tight end room ranked 27th in yards (595) and tied for 25th in touchdowns (3) collectively in 2025.

Add it all together, and the Panthers boast the league's fifth-cheapest collection of wide receivers and tight ends entering 2026. With next season looking like a make-or-break year for Bryce Young as the potential long-term leader of the franchise, it's more paramount than ever to make sure he has a competent group of playmakers to throw the football to.

Honorable mention

Nominal starting RB Rico Dowdle is hitting free agency, although the team should be fine rolling with Chuba Hubbard and a hopefully healthy Jonathon Brooks … Starting LB Christian Rozeboom is hitting free agency, leaving the Panthers with the league's fourth-cheapest collection of linebackers entering 2025 …  Jaycee Horn is a stud, but at a minimum more depth is needed in the secondary: This front office is one of just three teams to draft just *one* defensive back in Rounds 1-3 during the last five drafts combined. … While Young is back as QB1 for Year 4, he's yet to string together a full season with anything close to high-end counting numbers or efficiency. The flashes have been there, but it'd make sense if the organization wants to bring in something close to actual competition, or at least find a better backup option than 38-year-old Andy Dalton.

If I were the general manager…

I'd strongly consider using yet another first-round pick on a wide receiver. USC WR Makai Lemon, in particular, would be an awesome fit and provide the sort of YAC-friendly playmaker that this passing game desperately needs. After that: Defense, defense, defense. Only the Jets have drafted fewer defenders in Rounds 1-3 than the Panthers since 2021; adding help at all three levels is encouraged for a group that wasn't particularly good against the run or pass in 2025.

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