Panthers Counting on Young Players to Start the Transition From Laughing Stock to Contender

By now all the jokes, snarky internet memes, and sports hot takes surrounding the Carolina Panthers have mostly played out. The trade for Bryce Young has not yet delivered the anticipated impact. CJ Stroud blew up all rookie expectations. Their 2-15 record was good enough for the top pick in the 2024 draft and a chance for the next big thing in quarterback Caleb Williams from USC. Only one problem, they no longer owned the first pick. Yes, everyone ever associated with the Carolina Panthers has heard it all ad nauseum. 

Unless Panthers owner David Tepper has added a DeLorean and a flux capacitor to his portfolio, there is nothing the franchise can do to change any of those facts. The only option is to stiffen their collective spines, start throwing things against the wall, and try to make chicken salad out of chicken bleep. No one pretends it will be easy. That 2-15 record was earned. It screamed about the need for turnover in the front office and on the field.

Tepper installed unconventional hires at general manager and head coach with Dan Morgan and Dave Canales, respectively. All the decision makers reconfirmed their belief in, and support of, Young. Also left by the curb were over-priced and underproductive veterans. The team’s biggest star, linebacker Brian Burns was traded to the New York Giants for draft picks. If the Panthers were serious about changing the culture and installing a winning atmosphere, they had to build around Young and give him the tools to succeed. That would require the acquisition of several new players to grow around their franchise quarterback.

The roster reconstruction would begin with the NFL Draft in April 2024. Through a series of transactions, Morgan wound up with one pick in each of the draft’s seven rounds. Understanding his team needed help on each side of the ball, Morgan balanced his selections with three offensive picks and four defensive choices. After the draft concluded, he added 17 priority undrafted free agents. Like his draft picks, his signing were balanced with seven offensive players, nine defensive players, and one special teams player. He would continue to make use of the waiver wire and tryouts to continue to tinker with his 90 man offseason roster.

The process did not stop once training camp opened in July. There were a handful of additions and cuts, and players lost to injury. After dozens of practices and three exhibition games, Morgan and the coaching staff were prepared to make the required cuts to reach the NFL’s mandate initial roster of 53 players. Not surprisingly, the first iteration of the roster was heavily populated by rookies and first-year players.

Upon initial inspection, the first draft stewarded by Morgan and Canales appeared fruitful. Four of the seven picks are scheduled to make their NFL debuts on September 8 at division foe the New Orleans Saints. According to the team’s first depth chart, none of the draft picks will be starters. For the fanbase, this is a little discouraging. The Panthers traded into the last pick of the first round to select South Carolina WR Xavier Legette and the coveted fifth year option that comes with a player selected in round one. Legette struggled at times with the professional games both in terms of route running and hauling in catchable balls. He showed enough promise that he will be part of three receiver sets and can work his way into a starting spot by developing consistency, 

The other draft picks are slotted to be second team members at this point but should factor in heavily in special teams play that has taken on added significance this season with the league’s new kickoff rules. The rookie that has garnered much of the attention to date is fourth round pick, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders from Texas. He has made gasp inspiring circus catches and has displayed a knack for nimbleness with his 6’4”, 243 pound frame. Tight ends are a young quarterbacks best friend and Sanders will quickly become a favorite target of Young.

Having only four picks make the initial roster looks disappointing without context. Second round pick, RB Jonathan Brooks from Texas, has yet to practice and is on the Reserve / Non-Football Injury List. He is till recovering from a knee injury he suffered with the Longhorns. He is ineligible to play the first four games to begin the season. When Brooks is healthy and in game shape, he will give Carolina one more dynamic option to take pressure off Young. 

The one draftee no longer with the Panthers may yield the biggest initial return. Seventh round pick LB Michael Barrett from Michigan was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for veteran CB Michael Jackson. Jackson has claimed one of the two starting corner spots on Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense. Barrett was subsequently waived by Seattle. 

Sixth round DL Jaden Crumedy from Mississippi State was placed on the season ending Injured Reserve list with an ankle injury. C Andrew Ryam from Oklahoma was the only undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers to make the roster.

There is one upside for having endure a bad season in 2023, the first spot on the waiver claim list. Morgan made liberal use of that benefit as teams cut players to reach the 53 man roster limit. The Panthers were awarded five claims by the NFL, including the player who was claimed most frequently, CB Shermar Bartholomew. The undrafted free agent was waived by the New York Jets who were attempting to sneak him onto their practice squad. Morgan helped himself to a bonus draft pick when he plucked G Jarrett Kingston from the waiver wire. Kingston was a sixth round pick of the San Fransisco 49ers from USC. The Panthers finished their claiming process by adding two undrafted free agents in DB Keenan Isaac (Alabama State) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and DE Jamie Sherriff (South Alabama) from the Seahawks.

Carolina’s youth movement did not end with the active roster. After the waiver claim period had passed, the Panthers signed 16 players to their practice squad. Six of those players are rookies or first-year players, including QB Jack Plummer (Louisville), and training camp darling WR Jalen Coker (Holy Cross). It will not be a surprise as players from this list get elevated to the main roster due to injury, ineffective play, or opponent match up. These are not glamour or glorious positions, but they are crucial in constructing a potential contender from young parts.

This season will have its challenges. The late MLB General Manager Syd Thrift famously said “it ain’t easy raising the dead” when talking about rebuilding the moribund Pittsburgh Pirates of the late 1980s. Morgan, Canales, and their staff’s task isn’t that daunting, but it is exceedingly tough. They need to be right way more often than they are wrong on personnel decisions if they, and more importantly, Young, are to succeed. If there is a glimmer of hope, the NFC South does not have a clear cut favorite, and each team has its fair share of warts. If the rookies and first year-players gel quickly and the opponents stub their toes, happy days at Bank of America Stadium might arrive sooner than fans and observers expect.