The Carolina Panthers are gearing up for a weekend opener on the road to kick off their 2025-2026 season.
The Panthers finished last season 5-12, missing the playoffs for seven straight years.
Last season, head coach Dave Canales made a seismic decision when, after a 0-2 start, he benched starting quarterback Bryce Young. However, that decision may have proved right as Young indeed turned his game around and built his momentum back toward the end of the season, wrapping his last three games with 10 touchdowns and zero turnovers.
The Panthers have also shown promise with offseason preparation and a few key roster shake-ups just before the start of this season. Although they’ve sent wide receiver Adam Thielen back home to Minnesota, taking a pay cut to rejoin where his career started with the Vikings, they picked wide receiver Hunter Renfrow back up, who is expected to start in the season opener.
In 2024, a survey found that the Panthers are the NFL’s most miserable fanbase.
The pressure is on for third-year quarterback Bryce Young and coach Dave Canales to deliver an improved season. Will this be the year? On today’s episode, we ask our panel of sports reporters what’s in store this season as we count down to kickoff.
GUESTS:
DaShawn Brown, sports anchor and reporter at WSOC-TV
Nick Carboni, sports director at WCNC-TV
Mike Solarte, sports director at Spectrum News 1
