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Former NFL GM gives his take on how much the Panthers have improved

A step toward relevancy for the Carolina Panthers?

Schuyler Callihan

McKenzie Lange/ Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
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If we're being honest, the Carolina Panthers have been through it over the last handful of years. Dreadful season after dreadful season, coaches and GMs changing way too frequently, and too many roster moves that backfired such as trading away Christian McCaffrey for essentially nothing in addition to Brian Burns and DJ Moore also being shipped out.

To expect Carolina to get things fixed overnight and contend for a playoff spot in year one of the Dave Canales/Dan Morgan era would be incredibly unfair. But progress toward that is reasonable to ask and former NFL GM Michael Lombardi believes the Panthers are headed in that direction.

“They can’t suck. They got to be better than they were last year. I think Dave Canales is going to help them be much improved offensively," he said on the Pat McAfee Show. "Defensively, look, this is a team that beat the Houston Texans and CJ Stroud earlier in the year. They have good defensive talent. Now, they’ve made a lot of changes, they los (Jeremy) Chinn, (Frankie) Luvu, Brian Burns, so they’re going to have to fill in some real blanks here but they’re going to play hard for their coach. They know he’s got a six-year contract. He’s not going to get fired at the end of the year. Now, they have a temperamental owner, but at least they have some stability and I think you’ll see a better effort from them and I don’t think Bryce Young is as bad as we all suspect he was.”

Obviously, the Panthers have to win more than two games to show that brighter days are ahead, but I don't think you necessarily have to put an exact win total on it to feel good heading into 2025. If they win seven games, but get lucky in a couple of them and Bryce Young doesn't look like a franchise quarterback, do you think the majority of the fanbase will feel good? I wouldn't think so.

I'd be willing to bet most would rather see five wins and Young not be the problem. Quarterback is the hardest position to address in the NFL, as the Panthers know better than anyone. If he proves to be the answer, that's half the battle.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

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