For most NFL teams, a 2-15 season would be rock bottom. Most teams aren't the Carolina Panthers.
Here are three reasons why things will go from bad to worse in Charlotte this autumn.
1. QB Bryce Young is a work in progress... at best
In a recent thorough evaluation of Young's rookie season, Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice highlighted some troubling traits that could take more than one offseason to correct.
"The habit of moving backward," Tice writes, "is unsustainable for positive quarterback play. ... Young had this habit in college, and he still had it in his rookie year."
Young didn't have much time to develop good habits in his first year in the league simply because he spent most of his time trying to survive with the unexceptional supporting cast around him. He's still a raw prospect. Even with a massive leap in production under first-year head coach Dave Canales, he would be a middle-of-the-pack quarterback.
Tice pointed to the unimpressive company Young joined with his 3.68 adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/P), which factors in yards lost due to sacks and accounts for touchdowns and interceptions.
His ANY/P was the lowest by a quarterback since Josh Rosen (2018). Since 2011, only one quarterback (Jared Goff) who averaged four adjusted net yards or less rebounded from his lousy season by becoming a long-term starter. The others on the list include Blaine Gabbert (2011), Blake Bortles (2014), Brett Hundley (2017), DeShone Kizer (2017), Carson Wentz (2020) and Zach Wilson (2021).
2. Defensive losses are too much to overcome
The Panthers defense carried the team in 2023 before buckling under the weight of injuries. The unit ranked fourth in total defense (293.9 yards allowed per game) but 29th in scoring defense (24.5 points per game). With the offseason losses, they could be even more taxed in 2024.
The front office dealt edge-rusher Brian Burns, the team's best defensive player, to the Giants for 2024 second-round and 2025 fifth-round picks as well as a 2024 fifth-round pick swap. It also watched Frankie Luvu, one of the league's most underrated linebackers, leave for the Commanders along with versatile, playmaking safety Jeremy Chinn.
Offseason additions include edge Jadeveon Clowney, who tied a career-high in sacks (9.5) last year but is entering his age-31 season and could decline, as well as former Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell, a solid player but a downgrade from Luvu.
3. David Tepper is still running things (into the ground)
If those issues weren't concerning enough, Tepper's continued ownership should cause everyone to hedge their bets when considering how quickly Carolina can turn things around. Since Tepper purchased the franchise from disgraced former owner Jerry Richardson, the Panthers are 31-68, tied with the Jets for the league's worst record.
From Carolina's unseemly record to Tepper's unprofessional demeanor at a road game in Jacksonville last December, when he threw a drink at a fan, evidence is mounting that he's unfit to be an NFL owner. As long as Tepper is running things, the Panthers will be the NFL's laughingstock on and off the field.
