CAROLINA PANTHERS
(Week 16 TBD at Acriscure Stadium)
Series: Steelers 7-1
Last meeting: Steelers 24, Panthers 16 (2022 at Carolina)
Coaching: HC: Dave Canales; OC: Brad Idzik; DC: Ejiro Evero; STC: Tracy Smith
2025: 8-9, first in NFC South Division (27th total offense; 16th total defense)
The Panthers experienced their eighth consecutive losing season, but it was far from a losing year. Under second-year head coach Dave Canales, the Panthers improved from 5-12 to 8-9 and became the fifth team in NFL history to win a division championship with a losing record. The Panthers lost their final two games, but clinched the division when the Falcons beat the Saints to propel the Panthers past the Buccaneers on a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. In the playoffs, the Panthers fell behind the Rams 14-0 but rallied to take a 31-27 lead with 2:39 left. However, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford drove his team 71 yards for the winning touchdown, a 19-yard pass with 38 seconds remaining.
Overall, it was a bright season for Canales and third-year QB Bryce Young. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft enjoyed career highs in completion percentage (63.6), yardage (3,011), touchdowns (23) and passer rating (87.8). His rookie sack total of 62 was cut to 27 last season. A boost to the QB and offense was provided by NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan.
Key returnees
* WR McMillan caught 70 passes for 1,014 yards (14.5 ypr) and 7 TDs. He was the first Rookie of the Year winner for Carolina since Cam Newton was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. The eighth overall selection in the 2025 draft, McMillan set a new Panthers rookie record for receiving yardage.
* CB Jaycee Horn was named to the Pro Bowl after making 5 interceptions to lead the Panthers and tie for second in the NFL. It was Horn's second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Key losses
* C Cade Mays signed a three-year contract with the Lions on the first day of free agency. Mays rose from relative obscurity in Carolina to replace the injured Austin Corbett the last two seasons and didn't allow a sack in 20 starts. The Panthers also lost Corbett to the Bills in free agency two weeks later.
* RB Rico Dowdle signed a two-year contract with the Steelers in free agency after his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. Dowdle had replaced injured starter Chuba Hubbard in the Panthers' lineup.
Offseason additions
* C Luke Fortner was signed away from the Saints to a one-year contract on the first day of free agency. A former third-round draft pick of the Jaguars, Fortner was traded to the Saints to coincide with QB Tyler Shough's 5-4 run in the starting lineup. Fortner, along with RG Robert Hunt's return from injury, should fortify the Panthers' interior.
* OT Rasheed Walker signed a one-year contract with the Panthers after starting 48 games at left tackle for the Packers as the replacement for David Bakhtiari. Walker provides insurance to the Panthers in case starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu – who ruptured his right patellar tendon in the playoffs – needs the expected 9 to 12 months to recover.
* ILB Devin Lloyd was signed to a blockbuster three-year contract the first day of free agency. Lloyd had 5 interceptions and made 81 tackles last season for the Jaguars. He'll replace Panthers 2025 tackling leader Christian Rozeboom, who was signed by the Buccaneers in late March.
* OLB Jaelan Phillips was signed to a four-year blockbuster contract on the first day of free agency. The Eagles traded a third-round pick to the Dolphins for Phillips last November. He had 2 sacks and 7 QB hits in eight starts with the Eagles. Phillips will replace D.J. Wonnum at OLB. Wonnum signed with the Lions a week later.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 1: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia, was drafted 19th overall to provide depth at both tackle spots pending Ekwonu's injury status. Freeling is a 6-foot-7, 317-pounder who was second-team All-SEC last season, his only season as Georgia's full-time starting left tackle.
Round 2: NT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech, was a 318-pound space-eater on an impressive college front. He'll provide depth behind Bobby Brown III as a two-gapping tackle for the Panthers. Hunter made 31.5 tackles for loss as a three-year starter at Texas Tech.
Round 3: WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, is a 6-4 pass-catcher with 4.37 40 speed. The first-team All-SEC receiver last season caught 62 passes for a team-high 1,017 yards (16.4 ypr). Brazzell will open training camp behind Xavier Legette with the opportunity to pair with McMillan, another 6-4 pass-catcher.
Familiar face
Kenny Pickett replaces Andy Dalton as the Panthers' backup QB to Young this season. Pickett was the Steelers' first-round draft pick in 2022. He compiled a 14-10 record over two seasons as the Steelers' starter, and then won a ring with the Eagles as the backup to Jalen Hurts in 2024. Pickett spent last season with the Raiders. His overall record as a starting QB is 16-11.
Matching up with the Steelers
With Lloyd and Phillips, the Panthers noticeably improved their linebacking corps and 16th-ranked defense, but it's the offense that needs to improve for the Panthers. Injuries went a long way in causing them to finish 27th overall on offense, and the offensive line will remain in flux because of the serious injury suffered by Ekwonu in the playoffs. Canales said this spring that they expect him back at some point this season, which could occur in time for the 2022 No. 6 overall pick to play against the Steelers. The Panthers still need to see improvement from Young, the former Alabama QB who's entering his fourth NFL season with a career passer rating of 87.8. Along with the returns of Hubbard and Hunt, the Panthers are hoping to see recoveries on offense from the injured WR Jalen Coker and RB Jonathon Brooks.
