Carolina Panthers 2023-24 Season Guidebook

While the summer season brings much enjoyment to the average person, for an NFL fan, it represents a desolate wasteland where Sundays just aren't quite as vibrant as in the autumn months.  However, with each passing day, we inch closer to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which officially kicks off on September 7 this year.

Whether you've had your favorite team's tweet notifications turned on all summer or if you've decided to tune out all football news entirely, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about your team going into the 2023-24 season right here.
 
In today's article, I'll be discussing the Carolina Panthers.

I wrote a guidebook for every team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season.  To check out an article for another team, click the link below:
https://www.bucketsquadsportsreports.com/nfl

2022 Season Recap

The Panthers finished 2nd in the NFC South in 2023, though only because they won the tiebreakers with the three other non-division champs.  They were a game away from making the playoffs but fell short of the postseason for the fifth season in a row.
 
Carolina was below average in just about every aspect in 2022 as they basically split the season three ways between three starting quarterbacks.  None of them really stood out over any of others, leading to them drafting a potential franchise QB in the offseason, which we’ll discuss a little later.
 
Significant Roster Moves

The biggest name in the “losses” column is definitely DJ Moore, who was traded to the Bears as part of a deal for the Panthers to acquire the 1st overall pick in the 2023 draft.  D’Onta Foreman, Myles Hartsfield, Matt Ioannidis, and Cory Littleton were the only other departures from the team who started the majority of Carolina’s games last year.  All three quarterbacks who played last season are gone this year: Baker Mayfield was traded midseason, while Sam Darnold and PJ Walker both left in free agency.
 
The Panthers acquired receivers Adam Thielen, Damiere Byrd, and DJ Chark along with running back Miles Sanders and tight end Hayden Hurst to bolster the offensive skill positions.  Veteran QB Andy Dalton will also serve as a mentor for Carolina’s rookie quarterback.  Vonn Bell and Shy Tuttle will also start at strong safety and nose tackle, respectively.
 
2023 Draft Class

As I alluded to earlier, the Panthers traded up to draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young 1st overall.  Despite his small stature, Young was widely considered the most talented quarterback in the 2023 class and has already impressed in preseason.  They followed that pick up with receiver Jonathan Mingo to give Young another weapon to work with.  DJ Johnson will see some action at outside linebacker while the other two draft picks will attempt to work their way onto the playing field in 2023.
 
Season Schedule

The Panthers will take on the NFC North and the AFC South in 2023 to go along with their six divisional games.  Their other three opponents are the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys.  With an opponent prior season win percentage of .453, Carolina has the 6th easiest schedule in the NFL.

Carolina’s primetime games include one Thursday night game at Chicago and one Monday night game versus New Orleans.
 
Depth Charts

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

The Panthers return 13 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from last year.  Despite decent talent on both sides of the ball, expectations aren’t particularly high for Carolina in Bryce Young’s rookie year.  This is a team who may not be amazing in 2023, but they’re a squad who could become really good a few years down the line.  However, they’ll have as good of a shot as anyone in a relatively weak division.
 
Coaching Staff

Frank Reich was hired in the offseason to become the franchise’s 6th head coach following three years under Matt Rhule.  Reich previously served as head coach of the Colts, but was terminated in the middle of last season.  He retained one coordinator from the previous regime: Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor (2ndseason).  He hired Thomas Brown and Ejiro Evero to serve as Offensive Coordinator and Defensive Coordinator, respectively.  OC Thomas Brown was an assistant head coach as well as tight ends and running backs coach with the Rams for three season prior to coming to Carolina.  DC Ejiro Evero was with the Broncos in the same position for one season.
 
Betting Odds

Oddsmakers have set the regular season win total for Carolina at 7.5 games.  As of right now, the Panthers are the 3rd most likely team to win the NFC South and the 13th most likely team to win the NFC as a whole.  At +7000 to win Super Bowl LVIII, they are tied for 25th among all teams in the league.
 
Bucket Squad Predictions

Bucket Squad Sports Reports predicts the Panthers to finish 5-12 in 2023 and lose a tiebreaker with the Buccaneers to end up last in the division.  At 15th in the conference, they won’t be in the playoff picture by the end of the season.

What do you think?  Will Carolina be better or worse than I'm projecting?  What offseason moves made by the Panthers surprised you the most?  Leave a comment down below and be sure to check the "NFL" section of the website for more NFL team guidebooks as I finish them.

Written by Nick Swatson