NFL betting insider shares why you should back Carolina Panthers

Betting on the Carolina Panthers any year since 2017 has been a pretty bad idea, unless you were betting on them to fail. They've been arguably the worst team in the NFL since then, not once making the playoffs or even having a .500 season.

But in 2025, there's a bit of hope surrounding the team. This might finally be the year they're worth picking to do something, even if that something is not making the Super Bowl or having a ton of playoff success. CBS Sports betting expert R.J. White shared why he is considering backing them this year.

"After facing so much turnover in the past few years, the Panthers have enjoyed a high level of continuity this offseason among the staff and the offensive depth chart, where Tetairoa McMillan represents the team's only projected change among starters and at a position where a player of his talent was desperately needed," White began.

And even though the offensive line had three different players start at center last year, the unit should feel comfortable playing with one another after a pretty solid season last year, which should give Bryce Young enough familiarity and confidence to keep developing.

"The schedule helps the Panthers in most of their matchups with only five games against playoff teams (including two against the Bucs) on the calendar, starting with seven straight games against teams that didn't make the playoffs last year and none of those squads finishing higher than 12th in scoring offense in 2024," White added.

The weak schedule should instantly determine whether all the offseason work on defense was enough to drag the unit up from the depths and perhaps into the middle of the pack as it pertains to NFL defenses. If it was, then this Panthers team could be better than expected.

The bar for the defense is literally as low as possible, but if they can be better, then the team that finished 4-6 down the stretch in 2024 has a slightly better but very familiar offense, which should make them decent again.