Insider reveals whether or not the Panthers aced 2025 offseason

The Carolina Panthers did a lot over the offseason. They made seven draft picks, signed a few free agents, and let some players go. Time will tell how they did. They might've made crucial upgrades to positions of great need. They may also have overpaid for middling talent and will not be able to afford meaningful upgrades later.

For now, there's no way to tell. But early on, CBS Sports insider Josh Edwards thinks it's the former. In fact, he believes Carolina did better than 26 other NFL teams this offseason, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who just won the Super Bowl.

Much of the hope surrounding this team is based on Bryce Young's play, but Edwards says that their offseason work is what should drive the hype. "Carolina had a significant sum of money to spend and several holes to fill on defense. Veterans Bobby Brown III, Tershawn Wharton, and Patrick Jones II level out the floor of that unit," he said.

Just how bad was it? "The Panthers allowed 179.8 rushing yards per game last season; the distance between the Panthers and the No. 31 team in the statistic was similar to the gap between the No. 31 team and the No. 9 team," Edwards added. "They added power and quick twitch capabilities to the pass rush with Princely Umanmielen and Nic Scourton."

On offense, which needed far less work, Young finally has some stability for the first time in his NFL career. Head coach Dave Canales and all 11 starters are back, and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was selected in the first round with the eighth pick. They should be better now after the offseason, and the defense can't be worse.

That alone is cause for cheering, but the offseason champions don't win anything. The offseason success has to translate onto the field in the fall for this to mean anything whatsoever.