The Carolina Panthers were particularly busy this offseason. But was it a good kind of busy or a bad one?
Well, according to Yahoo Sports writer Frank Schwab, it was A-OK.
Schwab recently reviewed and previewed where the Panthers stand at this point in the 2023 campaign. Included in the extensive breakdown was his evaluation of their offseason as a whole, which he gave a delightful ‘A-‘ grade:
The price the Panthers paid to get Bryce Young was steep. The Bears got the ninth overall pick and a second-rounder this year, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025 and No. 1 receiver D.J. Moore. But if Young works out, nobody in Carolina will care about the cost. The Panthers followed up the Young pick by taking receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round. Carolina’s draft got pretty good grades. The Panthers were active in free agency. Adam Thielen probably wasn’t a great investment (three years, $25 million) considering he’s on the downside of his career. But they needed some help at receiver. Running back Miles Sanders got $25 million over four years, and that seems like a lot too. But Sanders is Carolina’s clear featured back replacing D’Onta Foreman, who left to the Bears. The Panthers kept spending: safety Vonn Bell, tight end Hayden Hurst, defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, receiver D.J. Chark and veteran backup QB Andy Dalton. All in all, it was a successful offseason.
Usually when you install a new head coach, a (mostly) new coaching staff and a new rookie quarterback—and the No. 1 overall pick, no less—that signals a massive rebuild. But that wasn’t really the case for Carolina.
The Panthers already had quite a few pieces in place before their latest and greatest additions. They had a solid offensive line with a promising left tackle and a defense headlined by a wrecking ball of a lineman, a Pro Bowl pass rusher and a shutdown cornerback.
So now that the rest of the pieces are largely in place, their successful offseason could lead to a successful regular season.
