Analyst predicts another bad Panthers season with one major caveat

There's a feeling around the Carolina Panthers for the 2025 season. Every year, there's some sleeper team that shocks fans by being better than they're supposed to be. The 2024 Washington Commanders are an example of that. There is some backing behind Carolina to be that team in 2025.

They have the quarterback finally. They have some decent weapons in Tetairoa McMillan, Adam Thielen, and Chuba Hubbard. The defense cannot possibly be worse than it was last year. All signs point up, but NFL insider Frank Schwab thinks it still isn't quite enough.

The insider put a rest to all the hype by saying, "The Panthers are another offseason away from being a playoff contender. Another round of adding talent to the defense is necessary." However, he added a major caveat to that take, "In the meantime, the Panthers should be surprisingly fun to watch. They're going to score plenty of points and give up a boatload of them, too. And that's OK."

He doesn't believe the Panthers do or should have goals of a playoff berth this season, as growth from younger players, Bryce Young in particular, is what the season is all about. "If that happens with a bunch of 38-35 losses, the Panthers can go into next offseason thinking they're one big defensive draft and some key free agent additions away from competing in the NFC South," Schwab said. "Considering where the franchise was the day Young was benched last year, that's some serious progress."

Rome wasn't built in a day, and going from two wins to five wins to the playoffs doesn't happen, either. It takes time, and the Panthers have done well this offseason by not wasting it. They're just still a little bit away from relevancy, but they're much further away from irrelevancy.