Carolina Panthers players have spoken, and the organization will (mostly) like what they have to say.
According to the Panthers’ 2026 NFL Players Association report card — obtained and released by ESPN on Thursday evening — the team saw good grades in several key areas. The Panthers also received some predictably low grades in others.
Most prominent among them was that the head coach category received an A-minus, a key player endorsement of now-third-year head coach Dave Canales. Players also had a high mark for general manager Dan Morgan (A) and a good mark for Team Ownership (B-minus) — the latter of which shows a stark increase for David Tepper, whose grade in the 2025 report card was a D-minus.
Rationale for each grade was not provided in the ESPN report. Previously, the reports were released publicly by the NFLPA for all to see. That changed this year thanks to a grievance the NFL won that prevented the league’s player association from publishing the results.
The report cards were based on responses from 1,759 players, per the ESPN report, and conducted from Nov. 2 to Dec. 11.
When reached for a statement, a team spokesperson referred The Charlotte Observer to the league office. An NFL spokesperson declined to comment on ESPN’s story, stating the league had no knowledge of the survey.
2026 Carolina Panthers report card grades
Here’s a look at the Panthers’ 2026 grades, with some annotation where appropriate.
Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: F. The Panthers still have a turf field instead of a grass one in Bank of America Stadium, a lightning rod of player criticism over the years. This is a new category, but the 2025 report stipulated the “need for renovations” as a key issue raised among players, which helps explain this year’s low mark in the category. The team is in the middle of a multi-year, $1 billion-plus renovation that will continue through the next few years. It’s worth noting that a key reason the Panthers use a turf field is because they consider Bank of America Stadium as a multi-use facility — one that hosts several events beyond NFL games each year, including concerts and home matches for MLS club Charlotte FC.
Food / Dining Area: B-plus
Nutritionist / Dietician: A-minus
Locker Room: D-plus. The team is addressing this in the aforementioned renovation plan.
Training Room: B
Training Staff: A-minus
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A-minus
Position Coaches: A-minus. Another new category this year.
Offensive Coordinator: A-minus. Another new category this year. Brad Idzik is the Panthers’ OC.
Defensive Coordinator: B. Another new category this year. Ejiro Evero is the Panthers’ DC.
Special Teams Coordinator: A-minus. Another new category this year. Tracy Smith is the Panthers’ STC.
Team Travel: D. This is the same grade the team received in 2025.
Head Coach: A-minus. This is the same grade players gave Canales in 2025. Players have raved about Canales’ ability to build a player-friendly culture in his short tenure in Carolina. It hasn’t hurt that the team is winning more, either — the Panthers earned their first NFC South championship in a decade in January.
General Manager: A. Another new category this year.
Team Ownership: B-minus. This is a huge increase for Tepper, whose grade shot up from a D-minus in 2025. That D-minus grade was 31st out of 32 teams — Tepper ranked ahead of only the New York Jets’ Woody Johnson. The reasoning for last year’s low mark: “The need for renovations and the continued use of turf instead of grass, perhaps because it is cheaper to maintain, continue to be drivers of owner David Tepper’s low grade.” Faith in the team’s long-term direction — as well as a scandal-free season — undoubtedly affected Tepper’s mark in 2026.