Who's the most important Panthers player not named Bryce Young?

The Carolina Panthers' most important player is ultimately Bryce Young. The quarterback is the biggest driver of success or failure on any team, but especially one with an overall lackluster supporting cast and pretty awful defense.

How far the Panthers go in 2025 will be up to how much progress Young makes as a passer. He made great strides at the end of the season, but he isn't going to do it all alone in 2025. There is another player besides him who will be hugely important. According to CBS Sports insider Jared Dubin, it's Tetairoa McMillan.

"For Bryce Young's late-season 'breakout' to be more than a mere blip, the Panthers have to put him in better position to succeed," Dubin argued. "That starts with giving him a true, target-earning No. 1 wide receiver, which he hasn't had at all through his first two seasons, when his top target was aging slot man Adam Thielen. McMillan consistently earned volume during his college career, and took advantage of it in a big way. His big frame and ability to create yards after the catch should make for a strong [pairing] with Young, as well."

The Panthers picked McMillan so high in the draft to be just that. They want him to be a supremely important player, one that's going to help their most important player take a huge step forward in 2025, and he is poised to do just that.

McMillan's specific abilities on the football field stood out to the Panthers, but they have yet to truly see them in action since the season hasn't begun. How well he translates to the NFL will go a long way towards determining the offense's success, too.