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Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich Griffin Zetterberg-USA TODAY Sports

Why Panthers could make playoffs—even with a rookie QB

By Josh Keslinger | Last updated 3/21/23

Carolina hasn't played in the postseason since the 2016 season, but the reloading Panthers have opened up that possibility for 2023 with a strong offseason.

Speaking to the media Monday about sweeping changes and 2023 goals, new head coach Frank Reich didn't hold back.

"We mean business," he said.

Earlier this month, Carolina dealt veteran WR D.J. Moore and draft picks—including two first-rounders—to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Panthers have struggled to find a franchise QB since the Cam Newton days and intend to select one with the first pick.

The #Panthers paid a big price to jump from No. 9 to No. 1, but worth noting: They still have a second-round pick (No. 39) this year, and they didn’t have to give up their first-rounder in 2025. The Christian McCaffrey trade provided flexibility. Now they can go get their QB.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2023

No matter who Carolina drafts at QB—Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young and Florida's Anthony Richardson seem most likely—he will have a cushion of talent to work with on offense.

"We really feel like we're putting this guy in a good position with some of the pieces that we've signed," said Reich, a former NFL QB himself.

In free agency, Carolina added former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders on a four-year deal, former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst on a three-year pact and, most recently, former Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen on a three-year contract.

The Panthers’ offensive skill group has started to take shape this offseason, adding:

* RB Miles Sanders
* WR Adam Thielen
* TE Hayden Hurst
* A QB that will be taken first overall
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 19, 2023

Also in free agency, Carolina signed veteran QB Andy Dalton to a two-year deal. He's coming off a decent season as a starter with New Orleans (2,871 yards passing, 18 TDs) and has experience mentoring a first-round QB. In 2021 with Chicago, he worked with Justin Fields.

Carolina had the 22nd-ranked defense and 29th-ranked offense last season in yards per game. Despite that, the Panthers finished 7-10, narrowly missing the playoffs in the sorry NFC South.

The lousy state of the division gives the Panthers reason for optimism, too. No NFC South team finished over .500 in 2022—including the champs, Tampa Bay, which seeks a replacement at QB for the retired Tom Brady. Could the starter be—gasp!—Baker Mayfield, who recently signed with the Bucs?

Elsewhere in the division, the QB situations are murky as well. Rookie Desmond Ridder didn't light it up in Atlanta last season. In New Orleans, meanwhile, free-agent signee Derek Carr must transition from the Las Vegas Raiders after a poor 2022 in which he finished tied for second in the NFL in interceptions (14).

In 2022, rookie QB Brock Purdy—"Mr. Irrelevant" as the last pick in the draft—guided the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs.

Who's to say a QB chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft couldn't do the same with the revamped Panthers?

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