Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Analyst predicts bitterly-disappointing finish for Panthers in 2025 NFL season

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 7:00 AM ET

NFL training camps open later this month. The preseason kicks off in roughly four weeks when the Chargers and Lions clash in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a recent version of power rankings, Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone gave his thoughts on who the 10 worst teams in the league will be in 2025. On that list are three members of the NFC South, including Dave Canales’s squad.

“There are reasons to be optimistic about the Panthers this season,” explained Bedinger, “but they’re all on the offensive side of the ball. The Panthers have seemingly recreated the same exact problem the Atlanta Falcons have been dealing with the past couple of years, and it could end up stunting their growth in 2025.”

The Panthers got necessary progression last year from Bryce Young,” added Bedinger, “They’ve got interesting weapons at receiver, headlined by a pair of first-round picks in Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan. They’ve got a strong core on the offensive side of the ball overall, but very few legitimate building blocks on the defensive side and they whiffed on their big-ticket free agent target, Milton Williams.

“The Panthers just don’t have the presence off the edge to consistently close out close games in the NFL. They’ll need pass rush productivity to come from other sources, and it’s hard to see where that would be as of this point in time.”

That last bit of analysis is very interesting considering general manager Dan Morgan addressed the team’s issues in this area multiple times this offseason. Over the past two seasons, Carolina has totaled just 59 sacks in 34 contests—four fewer than the Denver Broncos (63) managed in 2024.

Hence, in free agency, the Panthers added Patrick Jones II (Vikings), who finished with a career-best seven sacks in 2024. With back-to-back selections in April’s draft, Morgan opted for edge rushers Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). It will be interesting to see if this trio has an immediate impact in 2025.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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