Nobody in the NFL wins even a single game between March and September. That’s where the foundation for success is laid, though—and the Carolina Panthers have seemingly done well for themselves for the second straight year.
In free agency, they added a couple of big new pieces to their defensive front seven in pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd. Then, their draft class hit all the right notes—both for immediate and long-term roster needs.
Heading into the 2026 campaign, expectations for the Panthers are the highest they’ve been in quite some time, and some analysts are bullish about their future. Over at CBS Sports, Jordan Dajani has a breakdown of each NFC South team’s year, and he’s projecting the Panthers to finish over 7.5 wins:
The Panthers are expected to have the toughest schedule out of any team in the NFC South, but they also arguably had the best offseason of their rivals… The Panthers can repeat as divisional champs if Young has enough support around him. His offensive line finished top 10 in pass-blocking efficiency at PFF last season. The supporting cast of weapons is solid yet not great, with Tet McMillan leading the way. But the defense could be what gets Carolina to at least 8-9. The Panthers have difference-makers at all three levels there.
Last year’s first-place finish puts Carolina on a collision course with not only the toughest schedule in the division, but also the third-toughest overall in the league. While that’s going to make improvement hard to come by in the standings, the Panthers appear to be making the right moves.
That being said, all depends on how much progress quarterback Bryce Young can make in his fourth season as a pro. Young’s flashes are getting brighter and more frequent—and if he gets a boost from offensive coordinator Brad Idzik’s play-calling, then Carolina’s offense might surprise a lot of folks.
Elsewhere around the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints may have found a franchise quarterback in Tyler Shough, but the rest of their roster is in a state of disrepair after years of mismanagement. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also decaying, and Carolina seems to be catching up after getting dominated for nearly a decade. The Atlanta Falcons are probably the most talented in the division, but it won’t matter if they can’t find consistent play under center between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix.
So if the Panthers stay the course, the NFC South may be theirs to lose.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst says Panthers had best offseason in NFC South
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