Panthers HC expects team to be NFC South contenders after two-win season

The Carolina Panthers had a big 2023 offseason, adding the likes of wideout Adam Thielen, running back Miles Sanders and quarterback Andy Dalton.

They also traded up to select signal-caller Bryce Young with the first overall pick during the 2023 NFL Draft.

The moves didn't succeed, as the Panthers finished a league-worst 2-15.

Despite last season's failures, first-year head coach Dave Canales has high expectations for 2024.

"I think we're going to be competitive for the division this year," Canales said Tuesday at the NFL meetings, per Dave Auman of Fox Sports. "What I'm saying is, if we play good football, if we can get the football right like we believe we can, and we can take care of the football, let the numbers take care of themselves, we'll be in the hunt. We'll be in every single game, which will give us an opportunity to be in the hunt for the division at the end."

Carolina has again been busy this March, adding offensive linemen Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency. The Panthers also acquired one-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though the addition of Clowney will help the defense, they also traded two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns to the New York Giants and cornerback Donte Jackson to the Steelers.

Canales, who served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator last season, said that he thinks the team "got better," but he also cited the other teams' strengths in the NFC South.

"I think that the whole division if you look across the teams, adding Klint Kubiak to New Orleans, (where) Dennis Allen's already fantastic as far as the defense; you look at Tampa adding a guy like Liam Coen, making sure that they got Baker (Mayfield) and Mike (Evans) back, Antoine Winfield, huge pieces there, some of the youth that they drafted on defense last year. They're going to be tough to deal with," he said, per Auman. "Going to Atlanta, I have the highest respect for Raheem (Morris). Went against him for years. He's a fantastic coach. They add Kirk Cousins. If you look at some of the availability of targets down the field that Desmond (Ridder) wasn't able to capitalize on, I see Kirk really being able to hit those. It's like, this is a dangerous division, you know?"

Seven of the Panthers' 15 losses last season were by 14 points or more, tying for the most in the NFL.

Things can seemingly only go up from here.