NFL expert gives Carolina Panthers interesting grade for 2024 season

The Carolina Panthers finished 5-12, which may not accurately reflect how well they played to close the season. They went 4-5 in the last nine and 2-1 in the last three despite a historically bad defense. It's hard to crucify them for their record given the circumstances.
However, that's what one NFL expert did. The entire body of work from this season, not just the final few games, resulted in an alarmingly bad grade. It wasn't a total disaster, but Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton was not very kind to the Panthers.
NFL insider gives tough grade to 2024 Panthers
How the Carolina Panthers started and how they finished are two very different things. The first-half Panthers looked like one of the worst teams in recent memory, and the second-half team looked like it was on the verge of breaking through to the playoffs.
Still, Maurice Moton gave them a D+ for their overall season. He acknowledged the benching and subsequent return of Bryce Young, saying, "Young must continue to show improvement to fulfill the expectations of a No. 1 overall pick, but he trended in the right direction at the end of the term, throwing for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three games."
The defense needs a lot of work, though. "The Panthers must add an influx of talent on all three levels of their defense, which gave up the most points and yards per game," Moton argued. "Oft-injured cornerback Jaycee Horn and 31-year-old Jadeveon Clowney may be their best defenders."
5-12 is not a good record, but it's hard to really hate on the Panthers too much for finishing that way. They were not a good team, but they were coming off the NFL's worst record and didn't own their first-round pick. Any improvement was not a given.
Yet, the Panthers finally developed their franchise quarterback and improved by three wins. Even if the 2023 season was worthy of an F grade, the 2024 season should've been higher than a D+.
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