Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers helmet rests on the bench against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PFF names Carolina Panthers among NFL's most-improved teams this offseason

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated May 8, 2025 8:01 AM ET

Not everyone agrees, but most analysts seem to recognize that the Carolina Panthers have very quietly put together an extremely impressive offseason. At the end of the 2024 season, this team had not only the worst defense in the league, but the worst defense of all time. And despite a late surge from Bryce Young their offense was among the least-potent in the NFL.

Fast forward three months and this roster looks to be dramatically improved defensively, and the Panthers also managed to plug a couple of major holes on offense. The work began with a flurry of all-defense moves at the start of the free agency period, and continued with a draft class that's gotten strong reviews all around.

Some of the greatest fans of Carolina's offseason are at Pro Football Focus, which has ranked the Panthers among the most improved teams in the league. Here's Dalton Wasserman breaking down all the big changes.

PFF on Panthers' offseason improvement

Offensively, Tetairoa McMillan does appear to be an excellent fit for Bryce Young's game - and the addition of Mitchell Evans to the tight end room shouldn't be overlooked, either. If those two pieces can contribute to the passing game in a significant way as rookies we should in theory see a big step forward for Carolina's passing attack.

On the other side of the ball there are significant upgrades and extra depth at practically every position - with the lone exception of cornerback - where the Panthers did what needed to be done by retaining Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson to keep a good thing going strong.

If Bryce Young and Dave Canales can build on the positive finish to last season the Panthers are going to surprise a lot of people in 2025.

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

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