By: Cameron Miller

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Carolina Panthers are entering the 2025 NFL season coming off a mediocre 7-9 season and panthers fans seem to be filled with disappointment from recent failures, yet excited with a positive outlook in hopes they can change things around with what the team has done this offseason.

Since 2017, they’d stumbled through coaching swaps, heartbreaking finishes, and morale‑sapping losses, but as spring arrived in Charlotte, there was an unmistakable shift: young voices building chemistry on the practice fields, defensive reinforcements arriving in waves, and a confident quarterback ready to prove he belongs.

Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick back in 2023, now stands at the heart of this team. Year 3 isn’t just another chapter, it’s pivotal to the confidence of Young and this Panthers’ team.

After a sophomore year that saw flashes of brilliance towards the end with three straight weeks of 20+ fantasy points and some late‑season magic—Young earned another opportunity at getting the starting job back.

Front office whispers have now confirmed young would be their guy going forward and that there would be no QB controversy in 2025.

Still despite the growth from Young, most have to believe the 2025 season is the make-or-break year for him. If he doesn’t perform this year, I think the Panthers may have to once again become a team back on the market for a new starting quarterback.

The offense the Panthers have constructed around him is very compelling. The front office added a plethora of new playmakers like Tetairoa McMillan, who they drafted in Round 1 of this past draft.

McMillan is believed to be a go‑to receiving target for Young right out of the gate. I’m excited to see how McMillan and Xavier Legette are going to pair up together and if they challenge each other to work harder for that #1 spot.

They also grabbed former Colorado Buffalo, Jimmy Horn Jr in the 6th round and signed former Las Vegas Raider Hunter Renfrow.

In the backfield they added Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne for some quality extra depth behind starter Chuba Hubbard .

Switching over to the defensive side of the ball, they had a tragic story of their own. The Panthers defense had a disastrous 2024 season, surrendering 534 points over the season, which was bad enough to put them as the worst in the NFL.

So, the Panthers went in and added some much needed muscle and skill to their defensive unit.

They brought in Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III to fill up the interior of the D-Line, Patrick Jones II and rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton to bring some pressure off the edge, and brought in safety Tre’von Moehrig

They were able to extend Jaycee Horn with a four-year $100 Million contract, which made him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history, while Mike Jackson also earned a contract extension of his own.

Even though they have these two guys locked down for some time now, there are still some voices out there saying their cornerback depth is still too “thin” especially in the nickel and strong safety spots.

But on a more positive note, Sharp Football Analysis ranked the Panthers 2025 schedule as the 7th easier in the entire NFL. So maybe they can take advantage of the lack of difficult opponents and try to get some early season momentum started up.

Now with the preseason quickly approaching, the story almost feels cinematic.

They had a young promising QB with a statement to make, along with some new weapons to help him, a defense that was eager to shake off its embarrassment from last season, and a schedule that leaves fans to have a more optimistic outlook.

It seems like for this 2025 Panthers squad it isn’t just about the statistics but about getting redemption and giving the Carolina faithful with what they’ve been waiting for.

When September 7 comes around and the Panthers take a trip down to Jacksonville for the season opener, I’m sure you can expect to see eager Panthers fans lined up to see how this 2025 season will kick off.

They’re not there chanting for a Super Bowl banner, they just want to see stability, and competitive games to give them real hope at their first winning season since 2017.