Rich Eisen says sleeper Carolina Panthers could 'shock people' this year

There's been a lot of chatter about the Carolina Panthers being a sleeper team in 2025. Every year, there's some team that surprises fans with how good they are after being bad. The Washington Commanders picked third in the draft and then went to the NFC Championship Game, for example.

But with all the chatter, some analysts, fans, and pundits have tried to temper expectations. Could the Panthers be a sleeper? Absolutely. Will they? Some aren't so sure anymore now that that's become a bit of a prevailing sentiment. One NFL insider, however, isn't budging.

Rich Eisen said, "This one's a real possibility to shock people, be a seven seed. I'm serious. They've got a lot of talent, and they got that young coach in Dave Canales from the Pete Carrol always compete, positivity mantra."

Eisen added that if Bryce Young can continue his "upward swing," then the Panthers could be quite good. He listed Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Tetairoa McMillan, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jimmy Horn Jr., Jalen Coker, and Hunter Renfrow as key players who could elevate this offense.

"Is the offensive line right? Defensively, can we make some plays here? Can we surprise some people? Are we sleeping on the Carolina Panthers?" Eisen concluded.

If it seems like the analyst listed all skill position players, he did for the most part. That speaks to the depth on offense that they have, because all of those names could be solid players, if not good ones, this year. That's why they might surprise people.