Two years after they went 15-1 with NFL MVP Cam Newton under center and made it all the way to the Super Bowl, it looked like the Carolina Panthers were bouncing back with an 11-5 season and a playoff berth after a 6-10 disappointment in 2016.
But they haven't had a winning season since, averaging nearly 12 losses per year over the past six campaigns.
They're on their seventh head coach over that six-year span, but Dave Canales might just have them moving in the right direction.
In his first season running the ship, his first as an NFL head coach after being a first-time play-caller for the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers the year before, Canales led the Panthers to a three-win improvement in 2024 after a two-win effort in 2023, winning two of their last three games and showing marked improvement in multiple areas.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales reacts in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium.
Dave Canales lead the Panthers to a three-win improvement in his first season as head coach.
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Greg Auman of Fox Sports to talk about what a successful Year 2 would look like for Canales and the Panthers in 2025.
"I think they're a team that has a positive trajectory now, for the first time in a while," Auman said. "To go from a two-win team, to five wins last year, and to have the momentum of a better second half (of the 2024 season) for Bryce Young, a better second half for Dave Canales. Right now, I think of them in that 7-win, 8-win territory, which could put them in that range where they're challenging Atlanta for second place (in the division). Maybe challenging the Bucs, if they make a stumble."
Coming off that promising finish, the Panthers made some quality additions to their defense in free agency in hopes of bolstering a unit that struggled mightily last season after losing key veterans like Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn.
"I think it's still a bad defense," Auman admitted. "They've got a long way to go to be competitive on that side of the ball. I think they did a really good job in free agency this year of identifying guys coming off good teams, coming off rookie contracts, signing a lot of guys who are 25 or 26 years old. Guys who were behind good players, and didn't really get a chance to shine. They didn't really overspend."
Bryce Young
Bryce Young showed flashes of brilliance in Year 2, but they need to be more consistent in 2025.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Defensive improvement will be critical to continued improvement in 2025, but as is the case with every NFL team, the Panthers will go as their quarterback goes.
"They have to take a step forward on offense, too," Auman said. "You're two years in with Bryce Young, and he only has one 300-yard game in his career. So, you have to get to the point where you expect 250-300 yards, multiple touchdowns, points in the high-20s, 30s. They haven't had that."
To that end, the Panthers spent their top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, giving Bryce Young a massive target who can make a big impact right away.
"If you think about the success that Canales has had, and what he's known, it's big X receivers," Auman said. "It's DK Metcalf in Seattle, it's Mike Evans in Tampa. We don't know if McMillan is either of those guys, but he has that piece now."
McMillan has the talent to immediately rewrite Carolina's rookie record books at the position, and should team up with 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette to give Young a productive pass-catching tandem for years to come.
Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is selected by the Carolina Panthers as the number eight pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
Tetairoa McMillan gives Bryce Young another dynamic pass-catcher to bolster the passing game.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"The Panthers have one 1,000-yard rookie receiver in their history, and it was Kelvin Benjamin," Auman said. "Only one season where a rookie had more than five touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey holds the rookie reception record. McMillan can step in an immediately be their No. 1, and Legette is gonna be a good No. 2, a solid volume receiver for them. But I think McMillan can take their offense to another level, where you're winning games with Bryce Young, not in spite of Bryce Young."
If they can stay fairly healthy and build on last year's improvements, the Panthers could end up going from a perennial 10-loss team to a club that's playing meaningful football in the final weeks of the season.
"If it's more than seven wins, they'll be a good story," Auman said. "Because they'll be competing in December for a wild-card spot. If you're Dave Canales, I think that's the most optimistic, 'how quickly can this team be competitive and relevant' type of expectation. If they're just average on offense, and if they're not a bottom-10 defense, that's a path to 7-10, 8-9? And then, you're just a lucky break or an overtime win away from competing for something."
Carolina Panthers HC Dave Canales, QB Bryce Young
Dave Canales and Bryce Young finished the 2025 season with some positive momentum.
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
It feels like the Panthers have already started to separate themselves from the New Orleans Saints at the bottom of the NFC South standings, and next up will be closing the gap in front of them with the Atlanta Falcons, fighting for second place behind a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has won the division four years in a row.
"For them now to be in the conversation where the distance between Atlanta and Carolina feels closer than the distance between Atlanta and Tampa, that's a good thing for Carolina," Auman said. "I don't know if they'll sustain it. I don't know if it'll be another solid step forward (this season), but they're trending in that direction."
To check out the entire conversation, including deep dives on every team in the NFC South, check out the full episode of BPA: