2025 is make-or-break for Bryce Young’s supporting cast in Carolina

This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan added talent to all aspects of the Carolina Panthers’ roster. Did he do enough to help his emerging quarterback?

The Carolina Panthers won four of their final nine games in 2024. They also pushed both teams that played in Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs (30-27) and Eagles (22-16), in narrow losses. All this despite the fact that Dave Canales’s club was hampered by one of the worst defenses in recent NFL memory.

According to Jeff Chadiha of NFL.com, the biggest challenge facing Canales’s team in 2025 is the improvement of the pieces surrounding quarterback Bryce Young, who comes off a solid showing in the Panthers’ final 10 games of this past season.

Panthers have hopefully surrounded QB Bryce Young with young weapons

“The Panthers were thrilled by the way Young evolved in the second half of last season, as he bounced back from an early-season benching to play more like a former No. 1 overall pick down the stretch. For that momentum to continue, the team needs some young, talented receivers to improve as quickly as possible. Tetairoa McMillan, this year's first-round pick, is exactly the type of long, big-bodied target that makes life easier on young quarterbacks. His 6’5”, 212-pound frame will be a welcome sight for Young.

“Xavier Legette,” added Chadiha, “last year's first-round pick, also has impressive size (at 6’3”, 227) but needs to avoid the drops that plagued him during parts of his rookie year. The Panthers have more veteran options at receiver—like 30-year-old David Moore and 34-year-old Adam Thielen—but it's these younger players that will determine how high Young ascends in Year 3.”

The Panthers could also help Young with a more balanced attack. Carolina finished a so-so 18th in the league in rushing yards per game in 2024. Running back Chuba Hubbard ranked eighth in the league with a career-high 1,195 yards on the ground. In free agency, general manager Dan Morgan added Rico Dowdle, who ran for 1,000-plus yards with Dallas this past season. A reliable ground game would make Young and the offense much more dangerous. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out as 2025 unfolds.