CHARLOTTE — There are things you can tell about a football team in May, and there are a lot more things you can't.
But when you look at the Carolina Panthers as they go through their offseason program, you will absolutely notice the numbers.
It's not just that 90 dudes are on the field at the same time, give or take a few. But it's the way particular positions are stacked with options in a way that wasn't necessarily the case previously.
As you look out at the wide receiver position, for instance, it's a lot more crowded than it's been in the past, which is always the goal. Adam Thielen noted it recently, and the longer you look at the position, the more you realize how right he seems to be.
Adding Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr. during the draft and a late free agent addition in Hunter Renfrow has transformed a group that evolved into a productive, if not proven, unit over the course of last year.
Last year's first-rounder Xavier Legette is back and healthy, and the idea of pairing his deep speed with McMillian's wingspan and range is enticing. Thielen's back for another year. Then consider Jalen Coker last year's breakout undrafted rookie. And the steady and reliable David Moore, who people are always eager to count out but always seems to show up in December or January making plays for a Dave Canales offense (having done it for three teams now). Known commodities are a good thing. Throw in a super-fast special teams guy like Dan Chisena, and some interesting undrafteds like Jacolby George and Kobe Hudson, and you start running out of fingers.
Keep in mind, in an ideal world, they usually keep six receivers when they cut to 53. They're not all making the roster because there are other spots to fill, too.
And there are other spots undergoing the same kind of transformation. The offensive and defensive line groups are more densely populated with qualified players than in past years. The running back group appears solid. As Dan Morgan and the front office build out this project, getting more positions in the same position is the goal.
But even in May, you can see the progress. We'll see what it looks like when they put pads on and actually play football later this summer.
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Have you heard the breaking, exclusive news? The schedule is out, Darin! And it's a good one, ... for the most part. By my math, which has been checked by fellow unbiased and grounded fans, Ohio State CFB Champs + JAX Opener = Panthers Super Bowl. Don't check that math, I promise it's solid.
The only issue I have with the schedule is that we, yet again, don't open at home, and now, for the second season in a row, we don't close the regular season out here either. What gives? I know that we aren't one of the NFL's darling franchises or "America's Team," but c'mon, 345 Park, making fans wait until Week 3 for the home opener feels like we're in time out. I don't know; maybe it's entitled to complain about these things, but I'm an NFL fan in May. Props to the crew down at the Bank for yet another funny schedule release week; I hope the rest of the "offseason" goes by quickly! — Nate, Charlotte
Nate's math is mathing. It's foolproof.
The Panthers have opened with Jacksonville twice before, in 2003 and 2015, and went to the Super Bowl both times.
Great work, everybody; let's call it a season. No need to play the games now. The Ohio State part I didn't know, but that's just science now, it's settled.
It's a little bit of a drag to neither open nor close the season at home, but I also know it's impossible to make 32 teams happy with the results. However, they are home for five games in an eight-game span from Weeks 3-10, during which visitors will be overwhelmed by how sublimely perfect the fall conditions here in Mayberry happen to be.
Having studied the works of the noted Eastern philosopher John Fox, I have taken up the theory "It's not when you play, it's who you play," and realized trying to break down strength of schedule in May is silly. Somebody's best player will get hurt, somebody will get on a heater you didn't expect, and things that are accepted as conventional wisdom in the spring turn out to be neither conventional nor wise by the fall.
But fans love this stuff, and it helps provide structure for planning, so that's all good.
For me, the biggest indicator in this schedule isn't the one prime-time game or the opener. The fact the league dropped the two Tampa games in the final three weeks of the season suggests that somebody thinks the Panthers might be good.
The Bucs are the most established team in this lovable mess of a division, and the league clearly desires competitive games on TV late in the year. So, ostensibly, there's at least a thought the Panthers might offer that competition. (And frankly, that's fair, based on the way the Panthers closed 2024 and the improvements on both sides of the ball.)
Now, if you'll pardon me, I'll be sampling the fine wines and cheeses with Legette while we do a little light reading.
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Hi Darin, Given the draft picks and a few FA pickups the team has made so far, do you think there's the potential for any power moves before the season? I feel like they have made some moves to get a lot of depth in some areas. But it still feels like something is missing. — Jasmine, Wake Forest, NC
You know what the real power move is?
Earlier this week, new defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was ready to do his normal yoga workout.
Then he found out there were goats available.
That's not a baaaaaaaaad deal.
Seriously, I don't think they're ever finished looking around. And it doesn't take a long look at the roster to know where the less-deep spots are. If they had to line up and play this weekend, the starting safeties would probably be free-agent pickup Tre'von Moehrig and fourth-round rookie Lathan Ransom. Also, lots of people would be saying, "Why is the NFL making the Panthers play on Memorial Day weekend?"
As noted above, this team is deeper in a number of key areas, but fixing this roster was never going to be a one- or even two-offseason job. You can't fill all the holes in a year or two, and they haven't. Safety's probably the most noticeable, but there are other places where they're not quite where you'd want to be.
So, if the opportunity presents itself in the coming weeks, I could absolutely see a signing that would be described as significant. Honestly, a number of veteran safeties on the market would qualify. Other than Moehrig and special teamer Nick Scott, there are exactly five games of starting experience on the roster at that position, all belonging to former underrated rookie Demani Richardson.
They've looked at several already, and there are a number on the market.
The Panthers aren't at the spot where they're signing just anybody, but adding a veteran safety between now and training camp seems like a reasonable possibility.
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Are the Panthers planning on signing another corner, safety, and linebacker before July? They seem to have decent depth at other places. Those folks could just be depth pieces and special team players, but we need guys who could play if injuries occur. Not part of the "Question", but when Dan Morgan talked about a three-year rebuild, the positions I mentioned seemed to be ones we might spend our higher draft picks on next year.
Second observation. All teams get better (it's the goal) during the draft, but it looks more and more realistic that most teams will finish somewhere between 7-10 and 10-7 in the future with injuries causing any aberrations from the norm. — Bob, Aurora, CO
Yeah, there you go; Bob went right to the rest of the list. Corner and inside linebacker are among those less-deep spots we were talking about.
They're set with starters in Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, but are obviously looking at a number of young players for backup roles, and that search will likely continue through training camp and the preseason.
Also, astute observation about the league being pushed to the middle. It's almost like it's by design. And while the middle isn't necessarily anyone's goal, to get to the top, you have to be there first, and then in the year when your key people stay healthy, you have the chance to make a jump.
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Darin, first-time writer, long-time reader. What are the Panthers going to do about inside linebackers? Thanks for any response. Original PSL owner. Now 86 years old and still pounding. Sincerely. — Joe, Anderson, SC
That's another one of the places where they may not be as deep as others.
Early in free agency, perhaps lost amid the big signings to shore up the defensive line and secondary, they brought in Christian Rozeboom to supplement Trevin Wallace and Josey Jewell.
He started 11 games for a good Rams defense last year, his most productive season yet, so he gives them three solid options for two jobs.
That leaves competition for those extra linebacker/special teamer spots.
I'm particularly curious to see South Carolina's Bam Martin-Scott in games. He certainly has the name for it. If Bam and 'Boom were ever on the field together, it would be downright onomatopoetic.
And thanks for joining the community Joe. It seems like making you this week's Friend Of The Mailbag and sending the appropriate honorarium is the least I could do. So I will.
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Darin, what a great read you are. I look forward to everything you do. My question concerns Hunter Renfrow. I was excited when we signed him. I think he will be a real asset to the WR room. But I don't see anyone even mention him when discussing the 2025 passing game. It's like no one outside Charlotte remembers we signed him. What am I missing? — Bill, Charlotte
Well, he hasn't really played to his top level in several years (because of the health issues that forced him out of the game altogether last year), and he's also part of the sudden depth at receiver that's going to make that one of the most interesting spots to watch in the preseason.
All of those guys are going to have to perform to stand out, and nothing should be taken for granted.
For Renfrow, the biggest challenge will be to remain healthy and return to football conditioning after a year off. He remains an elite route-runner, and you can even tell in May when he's not even covered that he knows how to find those small spaces in a defense, and he still has great hands.
You know how people will say a quarterback "throws a catchable ball?" Well, he runs first-downable routes. So adding him to the mix with so many young options will be fascinating, and if those young options take advantage of resources like Thielen and Renfrow to learn how to be a long-time pro, they'll be better off in the long haul, too.
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Any Blueprint or behind-the-scenes piece for the Panthers draft this year? Always my favorite content the team puts out. — Carter, Charlotte
Well, OK, since you asked.
Stay tuned because that's coming soon, as we take you inside the draft room and the process of landing McMillan, a couple of pass-rushers, and the rest of the draft class next week.
We do it for the people. (But especially Carter, since he's the one who asked so nicely.)
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Hi Darin! Appreciate the work you guys have been putting in. Two-part question here. I know you're just ecstatic to keep talking NFL draft two weeks after it's ended! During one of Dan Morgan's interviews, he mentioned that they had a first-round grade for Nic Scourton in their pre-draft evaluation. How do teams measure what round/grade a prospect earns when the talent level fluctuates from year to year? Is it just that players 1-32 on their board have a first-round grade, 33-64 have a second-round grade, and so forth? I'm curious because, one year, the draft may be top-heavy with blue-chip talent, but then the next year, there are fewer stars and more starters. So you could have one player who goes in the first round who maybe would have been drafted in the second round any other year. Do teams think about this?
Second question is about Eric Eager. I remember following him on Twitter when he worked with PFF; then one day, I found out he was in our front office! Good for him and good for us. I know draft grades are just content fodder to get through the long offseason. But last year, PFF gave us a C for our draft picks, and this year, they gave us an A+. Seems to me like Eric had a lot of input on this year's draft class. Is this just me reading too much into things, or does this point to our team moving into a more analytically driven system, with Eric having a prominent role in the scouting department and draft strategy? Thanks for all y'all's work! — Billy, Burlington, NC
Each team makes their own draft boards their own way, but it's not a 1-32 thing.
Some years, a team may have as few as 16-18 players with first-round grades on their board, and there have been years in which the Panthers had as few as 160 or so players on their draft board at all (and more than 250 players are drafted).
They spend months stacking those boards, so when a draft is happening, they have a visible reminder of where they have certain people valued. And when there's a gap between where the draft is and where they have a guy slotted, that's when they start thinking about moving, as they did by going from 57 to 51 to get Scourton.
All teams value things differently, but the short version is they thought highly of Scourton, and when a run on pass-rushers started earlier in the second round, they were ready to move.
Eager has been an interesting addition to the front office. His analytical background played a key role in the draft in a way that will be explained in greater detail (but not too greatly) later. To make a long story short, he created a formula that helped guide certain discussions based on how likely a player might be available at a particular spot. Again, stay tuned because we have more draft content coming your way soon, including Blueprint and the supporting materials.
And, maybe his old friends at PFF just thought that having a former PFF guy made a team smarter. I don't know how they arrived at their grades, but it's reasonable to think the Panthers followed a logical process and added players at positions of need. But if you get carried away with the good draft grades, you also have to consider the bad ones. That's most of the reason I ignore all of them.
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Hi Darin. The last time I wrote to you was the awful year when the Cincinnati Reds lost all hope of making the postseason by Easter. Since then I have totally given up on both the Reds and the Panthers. I stop by the Panthers website from time to time just to catch your latest missives. I really enjoy your writing, even if I'm no longer a fan. To you I say thanks and Keep Pounding on your column. — John, Wilmington, NC
I'd say you chose a poor time to give up on both teams, as they're in mutual periods of renewed hope.
The Reds are simply fun to watch, as Elly De La Cruz just does things that humans aren't supposed to be able to do. (I saw him homer and leg out a triple last summer at Yankee Stadium, and the triple was more impressive. Anybody can hit a home run, but his speed is extraordinary.) Plus, they have a legitimate ace in Hunter Greene and good young pitching across the board. And if I miss a game, I can also count on quarterbacks coach Will Harriger updating me at the coffee machine the next morning since he also grew up a Reds fan in a strange land (in his case, West Texas).
The Panthers are in a similar spot. This team is young and ascending, and the vibes are good. Now, if they don't build on last year's progress it won't matter as much, but last year's progress was significant. And after an offseason of targeted improvements to personnel, there's at least a valid reason to expect things to continue on an upward trajectory.
I'll never tell anyone how to fan — you invest your free time as you please — but I would also encourage you not to fall victim to the moment. Sports are usually cyclical, and nothing is ever the way it is forever. Dynasties always eventually end, and things can go from bad to good with quality people behaving intentionally. And if you hang around long enough, you're sometimes rewarded with something special (like Tottenham's Europa League final victory on Wednesday, erasing 41 years of heartache, but that's a story for another 'Bag).
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Where did you go? I can't believe you'd miss schedule release week. — Will, Rock Hill, SC
Schedule release and rookie minicamp were faithfully handled (and well) by Kassidy Hill, allowing me to take a little vacation.
The wife and I were fortunate enough to spend some time in a camper van driving across Iceland. Beautiful country with amazing scenery. It's also a country that is actively trying to murder you every second of the day.
On one particular quick hike (two miles into a glacier and back), we walked through sunshine and pleasant blue skies, a driving rain so hard you had to lean into the wind to stay upright, and sleet in a 40-minute span. We were almost blown off a cliff by 70 mph wind gusts. Those same kind of winds also canceled a boat tour of an iceberg field, which kept me from relitigating the end of Titanic. Also, the entire place is a volcano, ready to blow at any moment. We drove through the town of Grindavik, which was still evacuated from the April eruption. The town's still intact, but the absence of people combined with the piles of rocks that used to be inside the Earth gave it an otherworldly quiet. Went inside an actual glacier (not the only ice hole the wife had to deal with). There are national highways made of gravel (Highway 52, revisted, was a bad idea). Rockslides are common because so many rocks. There are also tire tracks going off the side of the paved roads all over the place, the inevitable result of staring at one of the many natural wonders like 20-story roadside waterfalls that are just all over the place and frequent enough the locals don't even notice them anymore.
On the other hand, hot springs. Relaxing in a geothermal pool at 40 degrees (Celsius, which I know you double it and add 30, thanks Bob and Doug McKenzie), and then jumping into a 10-degree lake is life-changing. Also, Iceland has the most amazing hot dogs, believe it or not. Made with lamb, which gives them a sweetness and texture our dogs can't match. And all the way isn't chili, slaw, mustard, and onions, like I grew up with. They use raw white onions, crispy fried onions like on top of a green bean casserole, and three sauces — a less-sweet ketchup, a mayo-based remoulade, and a sweet brown mustard called pylsusinnep (if you call it "pleasure mustard" in a Barry White voice, the locals will call the cops and your wife will consider it). And they put most of the toppings underneath the dog, which makes for a cleaner eat but a less attractive Instagram post. But that's also an important life lesson — substance over style. (Side note: In Iceland, they call Cool Ranch Doritos "Cool American." I bought a bag and said, "You're welcome.")
But mostly, puffins. I stood and watched puffins for about four hours (at night, and again the following morning). A puffin ain't built for its job. They're short and squatty, with stubby little wings that they have to beat with great vigor to get airborne. A puffin ought to be able to fly the same way Muggsy Bogues ought to be able to dunk. But the effort is adorable and endearing.
Seriously, Iceland: 10/10, no notes. Highly recommend.
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Hello Darin, and thank you for all that you do keeping us all informed via draft, camps, and helpful insights. I was reading a lot about how much film study players do; I was just wondering about Mr. Young. How much film does he study? Please share from your point of view. Last question: while in Tampa, did you ever try their Cuban sandwich? See you on Jan 4th. I have end zone seats, so you can't miss the T-shirt! — David, Brooksville, FL
The short version is, a lot. Bryce studies everything in depth.
He's a careful decision-maker and meticulous about his preparation. That's film, his physical work, everything. His rookie year, he'd duck inside the former practice bubble to do a supplemental 20 or 30 minutes of core work after every practice, where no one could see it. But that's his nature.
And yes, to Cuban sandwiches. Two kinds of pork, mustard, and pickles on toasted bread? Yes, please. I will eat them in Tampa, or anywhere really. On a boat, with a goat. Wherever.
Speaking of, here's a picture of Bryce with a goat, which is almost as adorable as a puffin.
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And on that note, let's go lightning round, brought to you by the patron saint of the lightning round Jeff from Fuquay-Varina, to close it out this week.
Hello Darin, now that the Panthers have announced that fans will not be allowed at training camp due to construction on the new indoor practice facility (for the next two years), is there any plan to livestream practices during training camp so that fans can watch practice and get familiar with all the new shiny toys? — Thomas, Arcadia, NC
Maybe not the whole practice, but we will have expanded video, audio, photo, and print content for you during camp. It's our job to bring that to fans anyway, but we understand that during this temporary construction interruption, we have to take those jobs even more seriously to be your eyes and ears and hands and feet. We've got you covered.
When is the jersey schedule coming out? — Roy, Carthage, NC
Closer to the preseason. One schedule release per month is plenty.
What are some things that football fans can do when there is no football other than sit around and be sad about the fact there is no football? — Miles, Chicago, IL
Go outside and play. Ride a bike. Pet a dog. Volunteer in your community. Listen to music. Read a book. Eat hot dogs. Watch the NBA playoffs, which are amazing at every level. I could watch the Knicks and Pacers play a best-of-75 series. The basketball is great, but the drama is better. Haliburton did the Reggie thing, with Reggie watching!
What are all the rookies' new jersey numbers? — Michael, Asheboro, NC
In some cases, temporary. All jersey numbers are subject to change. But you can see the full current list here. And when you look at that roster, you realize it's better than it used to be.
