The Carolina Panthers have returned to the field for offseason minicamp and are looking for a fresh start for the upcoming season after a rough last year.
The Carolina Panthers and their fans likely wish they could erase the team’s 29th season from their minds and the record books. They started the season with a new head coach, a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young and several new free-agency signings. Unfortunately, that yielded a 2-15 record and a last-place finish in the NFC South.
This season, they’re largely starting fresh again, with the addition of head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and more free agents. The Panther in particular spent a great deal on the team’s offensive line, with the addition of guards Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman.
During a press conference this week, Canales said one key point to success is having his coaching staff on the same plan — not working at cross-purposes.
“We're stealing bandwidth from our players if we're double-coaching, we all got to be saying the same thing and then you're just reinforcing instead of, like, stealing attention away.
“That's, that's been a really critical part, especially for me, especially with Bryce, especially on the offensive side as we're starting something new,” Canales said.
Last year, Young finished the season with 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Along with that, Young was sacked 62 times. Young said he’s looking forward to a fresh start for everyone.
“You know, there's a lot of newness here ... a lot of just new ideas, new energy, new people.
“So, you know, right now the mission is just for, for all of that to come together, see you’re on the same page and then focus on that so that we can turn to winning football,” Young said.
It's a bird.
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 24, 2024
It's a plane.
No, it's Diontae 🛫 pic.twitter.com/JSOtBjCuoW
The next phase of the offseason begins with Thursday’s NFL draft. The Panthers' first pick will be on Friday — they don’t have a first-round pick, after trading up to acquire Young the year before.
