Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We got a ton of questions as we dive right into the off-season, and they touched on all sorts of subjects. Let’s jump right in!

Bruce Guild: Brian who would yopu put as you biggest player performance surprises on offense and defense (1 each) of the 2025 and what does it mean for the roster and for the upcoming offseason.

Who were you biggest surprises to the downside on each side of the ball and impact on the offseason.

For the offense, I’d say I was most surprised by Rico Dowdle’s 1,000 yard season, honestly. Chuba Hubbard went into the season entrenched as the number one guy, but that streak middle of the season had Rico Dowdle performing up there with the top backs in the league. I think he started to slow down due to the heavy usage from that, and eventually Chuba returned somewhat to form and Carolina was once again splitting the carries. I expect the Panthers won’t have any chance of bringing Rico back, not just because of the inconsistent usage towards the end of the season. On the downside, probably Ja’Tavion Sanders. He showed a lot of promise last season, and this year was cut short by injury. But he was pretty consistently outshined by Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans as receivers as well.

For the defense, biggest surprise for me was Chau Smith-Wade. He played quite well and seems entrenched as the Panthers “regular” nickel cornerback. They’ll still be filtering in big safeties and other player types, but Smith-Wade turned out to be more than the typical training camp smoke. I give a close second to CB Corey Thornton, who also had his season cut short by an unfortunate injury. On the downside, I’d say its between Bobby Brown III and Turk Wharton on the defensive line. Brown didn’t seem to get as much usage as many probably expected, as A’Shawn Robinson was mostly the biggest benefactor of having Derrick Brown back along the defensive line. Turk Wharton was very good when he was out there, but he just couldn’t stay healthy. For a big money defensive line signing, that was disappointing. Hopefully he bounces back next season in that regard.

Gamble20: I know the Panthers “like” Cade Mays. And we know they likely need a backup plan for Icky due to the injury. However, Dave reiterated how essential the offensive line is to their success and pointed out what the Bears spent as evidence. We all believe defense will be top priority, but is there any chance the Panthers might actually try to find an upgrade at center and go after the top free agent (Linderbaum?).

There’s always a chance, though with the many other needs on this defense, they likely could re-sign Mays and Brady Christensen on the cheaper side, and not have to worry about center. I could see them drafting one though, since this front office seems to draft from a value perspective a lot of the time.

Brazilian Panther: Apart from Coker that is a must re-sign, give me two others players that were on the roster this season that you think they should try to re-sign too. While at it, also give us two must free agents that you would like to see DC and DM go after it. Cheers

I think Yosh Nijman is an obvious one with the uncertainty surrounding Ikem Ekwonu’s injury following the playoff game. I think bringing him back allows the Panthers some flexibility, rather than signing a higher priced veteran starter or having to draft a tackle high. Even if they do choose to draft one, they won’t have to play right away having Nijman on the roster and familiar with the offense. For my second one, its obviously Nick Scott, 17 game starter at safety and likely highly affordable depth. Since I can already hear the boos from the comments, my third choice is punter Sam Martin. I see no reason to let him walk after the season he had.

PantherBlueBlood: So with Tillis visiting Atlanta and not signing on does that mean he is here to stay? Who would you say is the main talent evaluator, Willis, DM or is there someone else?

I wouldn’t call Brandt Tillis safe yet, but I do think David Tepper will be more than willing to give him a pay raise to get him to stay, possibly more. Guess we will just have to wait and see. I think Morgan is the main evaluator from a football perspective, but its pretty clearly a team effort in regards to basically everything the front office does between Dan Morgan and Tillis.

SnarkyComet: Is it a certainty that we move on from Dalton this offseason?

Based on Dan Morgan’s comments during his press conference this week, it seems a younger quarterback is on the agenda for this off-season. According to Spotrac, Dalton’s contract in 2026 is virtually all on the books, around almost $6 million. If the Panthers release him or he retires, they’ll still be on the hook from a cap perspective. That said, I wouldn’t rule either of those situations out, though it might make sense for him to stick around as a 3rd QB.

DBelt: How much money will the Panthers pay Bryce Young and how quickly will it turn into a Tua Tagovailoa situation?

I’d say a 10 year contract like what Pat Mahomes got is right about where I’d price him.

KeepPounding88: Am I crazy for thinking we’re due for regression next year? We still have an inconsistent QB, backdoored our way into the playoffs, lost our franchise LT to injury, have glaring holes on defense, and will in theory be playing a tougher schedule.

I don’t find that to be crazy at all. Number one, though the Panthers DID suffer a bunch of injuries on the offensive line, most of the injuries they had to endure across the roster weren’t detrimental. Most of their big name players stayed healthy or had a viable backup who could step in. So that aspect is always a possibility. On top of that, I would expect Tetairoa McMillan to have a rougher go of it now that NFL teams will have a full season of game tape on him as an NFL player and how the Panthers used him in their offense. Its really going to depend on what steps forward the rest of the roster takes, and if the Panthers can manage to draft another class of rookies that can make an instant impact like the 2025 class.

TLGPanthersfan: Feels like another season we may have to target an OL possibly in the first round. Do you want that? If not what position would you prefer? Me, LB but teams realizing they can attack the middle of the field really showed our lack of LB talent.

I think adding to the offensive line isn’t the worst decision. Between Ekwonu’s injury, Taylor Moton at the end of his career, and no certainty that Yosh Nijman is coming back, drafting a tackle this year in the first could be a shrewd move. Personally, I’d prefer they go defense, whether it be linebacker, safety, or even defensive line/edge. All of those would be valuable for this defense in my opinion. My preference would be a linebacker or another EDGE.

Coach_K: With Dowdle sounding like he’s on the way out, is there still hope that J Brooks will fill in on as a one-two punch with Chubba?

I think the Panthers will give Jonathon Brooks every chance to try and make his comeback next season. I think based on Dan Morgan and Dave Canales cutting their teeth in Seattle, they’ll draft a running back with a late round pick anyway, regardless of what they think of Brooks. But it is an uphill battle for him for sure.

Temujin07: Last two years Panthers have not really played complimentary football where we have won by more than one score other than once this season (week 3 vs ATL) leading to all of our other wins to be 4th quarter comes backs. Do you think this is a scheme issue (offense and/or defense) or personnel issue?

Its definitely a personnel issue to me. Obviously, no matter how you feel about Bryce Young, he was inconsistent all season, meaning the offense as a result was inconsistent. Combine that with a lot of young players taking on big roles in the passing game, and an offensive line that was basically in flux the entire season, and none of that bodes well for consistency. Dave Canales also didn’t seem to have a consistent game plan for this offense either. On defense, the pass rush and lack of talent at linebacker always seemed to do them in against above average offenses. All of these issues can be fixed by simply upgrading the personnel, aside from Bryce Young. He needs to find a way to be more consistent, but getting more help around him certainly would make that easier for him. But the consistency issues still lie at his feet to take care...

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