Already a year ahead of schedule in their rebuild under coach Dave Canales and quarterback Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers have been playing with house money as the 2025 regular season enters its final stretch.
Hardly any NFL analysts predicted the Charlotte franchise would be battling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers down to the wire for the NFC South title and a playoff berth as 2026 begins, but that is exactly where the Panthers find themselves as the new year takes hold.
Carolina’s progress has not only altered expectations for this season but has laid the groundwork for the team to become a fixture in the division race for years to come.
As the third and fourth years of the Canales and Young eras, respectively, arrive in September, the Panthers — NSJ’s pick for 2026 Team of the Year — appear primed to build on a foundation forged during a season defined by momentum swings and late-game breakthroughs.
For the first time in years, Carolina has evolved into a team that can not only compete with anyone in the NFL but also beat them. Wins over the Cowboys, Packers, Rams and Buccaneers have fueled the belief that the Panthers’ turnaround is more than a fleeting aberration.
“I’m really proud of the group with the way that they stay together and talk the whole time,” Canales said after Carolina’s 23-20 win over Tampa Bay on Dec. 21. “There’s a lot of great communication happening on the sideline drive-in and drive-out, trying to figure out the different things on both sides.”
“Everything is right in front of us, and to give ourselves a chance to continue to play meaningful football this time of year, they’ve earned that,” he added. “They’ve earned that because of the work.”
Looking ahead to 2026, it is reasonable to expect the Panthers to retain most of their 2025 talent, with running back Rico Dowdle standing out as the notable exception.
Viewed as a one-year rental who delivered as a physical, effective runner, Carolina will likely allow Dowdle to walk while leaning on Chuba Hubbard as its primary back again. The rotation would be supplemented by 2025 fourth-round pick Trevor Etienne and 2024 second-round pick Jonathan Brooks.
Brooks’ future remains one of the roster’s biggest question marks. The former Texas standout suffered his second ACL tear on the same knee late in his rookie season, but the Panthers could still give him another opportunity to revive a professional career that never fully took off.
At quarterback, Carolina appears committed to letting Young’s development continue to unfold. The Panthers are expected to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2027 season by May, a move projected at roughly $26.5 million that would give the franchise additional evaluation time while keeping him under contract at a manageable figure ahead of any potential extension talks.
Despite inconsistent stretches, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has shown increasingly clear signs of becoming the franchise quarterback Carolina envisioned. Young has recorded 12 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, the most by any quarterback since entering the league in 2023.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has flourished following the draft addition of wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has emerged as the Panthers’ first consistent big-play, yards-after-catch threat since DJ Moore was still in the Queen City.
In Year 2, McMillan has the tools to develop into a star if he can improve his physicality at the catch point, complementing route-running skills that already appear to be the real deal.
Carolina will also be counting on continued development from wide receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, particularly Coker, who has grown into a role similar to the one Adam Thielen filled in past seasons. The Panthers could add another offensive weapon or two during the offseason.
Defensively, Carolina has taken meaningful steps forward after fielding the league’s poorest unit a season ago. The defense, led by defensive tackle Derrick Brown and cornerback Jaycee Horn, is trending in the right direction.
While additional linebacker depth and pass-rush help are still needed, the pieces appear to be coming together for a defense that has endured growing pains but also flashed life through improved turnover creation.
If the Panthers remain on their current trajectory, 2026 shapes up as the season when promise turns into expectation — where a postseason appearance is no longer viewed as a bonus, but as the baseline standard for a franchise that finally appears to have found its footing again.
