NFL analyst delivers reality check to hopeful Panthers fans
· Yahoo Sports
Since hitting rock bottom in 2023, the Carolina Panthers have been raising their game and improving their roster. A lot of fans may be ready to set high expectations for this team going into 2026, but they shouldn't get ahead of themselves.
Digging out of a hole as deep as Carolina was in a few years ago requires a lot of hard work on the part of the front office, and a great deal of improvement from the key players on the roster. And we saw that in 2025, where they captured their first NFC South title in a decade.
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Does that, however, already make them a real challenger for the Lombardi Trophy?
Mike Sando at The Athletic doesn't seem to think so.
Although he did give them some props for their signings of linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd, Sando delivers a little reality check for the Panthers faithful:
The Panthers dove headfirst into free agency by spending $30 million per year for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and $14 million annually for linebacker Devin Lloyd. That type of financial investment often signals a win-now mentality, but Phillips (age 26) and Lloyd (27) should be in Carolina for years to come. That makes sense for a team that won its division with an 8-9 record but probably isn’t a true contender right now.
The truth hurts, but it's better to be realistic about where your team stands than going all in with a roster that's only set up to win a weak division where they finished in a three-way tie and made the playoffs on a technicality.
For the Panthers to compete with the class of a stacked conference, they'll have to tie up a few remaining loose ends. They could use a little more firepower on offense, some improvements along the front seven and another big step forward from quarterback Bryce Young.
Until then, they might still be scrapping themselves out of a lowly NFC South.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst delivers reality check to hopeful Panthers fans