Carolina's Offensive Trio Earns Fair Ranking by Sports Illustrated

Believe it or not, the Panthers aren't dead last.

Jan 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) during pregame warm ups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina's offense was tough to watch in 2023, but a lot has changed since January, including the offensive scheme and the staff that populates that side of the ball.

The expectations for the unit, though, have not changed all that much as there's still a lot of question marks surrounding second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated has the Panthers' offensive trio of Young, RB Chuba Hubbard, and WR Adam Thielen ranked 29th in the league.

"The good news for Panthers fans? It can’t be any worse than last year. Carolina is hoping for a revitalization of the offense under coach Dave Canales, who will try to coax improvement out of Young. If Young improves dramatically, the Panthers could shoot up these rankings. But he'll need a complete turnaround from 2023."

Personally, I would swap out Thielen for Diontae Johnson to headline the "top three" but I'm not sure it would even change their ranking. The group does, however, rank in front of the trios in New England (Drake Maye, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry), New York (Daniel Jones, Devin Singletary, Malik Nabers), and Denver (Bo Nix, Javonte Williams, Courtland Sutton). The Panthers could have been easily ranked dead last or perhaps 31st, beating out New England. This shows a little bit of hope in Bryce Young and his supporting cast's potential in 2024.

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