The Carolina Panthers are entering their bye week at the perfect time. The team picked up some positive momentum with a big win over the Detroit Lions last weekend, and this bye will allow them to get a little healthier.
The Panthers are sitting at 2-2 so far, and they’re at the top of the weak NFC South once again. One of the main stories surrounding the Panthers so far has been the stellar play of Bryce Young. Young has had probably the best stretch of games of his career to start 2026.
But how has the rest of the team been performing? At the bye week, let’s give each position group a grade based on how they played through the first four games.
Quarterback
Did anybody expect to see Bryce Young leading the league in passing yards through four weeks? The quarterback sits atop the NFL with 1,268 yards, and he’s tied for second in the league with nine touchdown passes.
Young has been an excellent deep-ball thrower this season, and he’s not turning the ball over at the rate he used to, either. Perhaps the most impressive part is that Young is being pressured constantly, as no quarterback in the league has been hurried nearly as much as Young has.
It’s hard to ask for much more from Young. This is exactly what we needed to see.
Grade: A
Running Back
The Panthers’ ground game has not looked the way we thought it would. Jonathon Brooks and Chuba Hubbard were supposed to split carries, but Brooks is now on injured reserve, so Hubbard has been the workhorse.
Hubbard is having a decent season. The veteran is currently 10th in the league with 306 yards, and he’s also tied for the 10th-most rushing touchdowns. Hubbard just had his first 100-yard game in two years, so it’s hard to complain too much.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver
Tetairoa McMillan has been one of the best receivers in the league so far. McMillan had his best-ever NFL game in Week 4, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and two scores. McMillan is sixth in the league in catches and sixth in the league in yards entering the bye.
Jalen Coker has been a standout as well. The receiver caught eight passes in both Week 1 and Week 2. Even John Metchie III has been making some plays recently, and Brycen Tremayne is showing upside as a pass-catcher. This is a talented group.
Grade: A
Tight End
The tight end position has been a black hole in recent seasons for the Panthers. As a result, the team added Darren Waller before the season, and the veteran has been a great addition so far.
Waller has 13 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns, which is almost as much production as the Panthers got out of the tight end position in the entire 2025 season. You’d still like to get more production out of Tommy Tremble or Mitchell Evans, but Waller is keeping the room afloat.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
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The Panthers’ offensive line is in a tough spot. Neither starting tackle has played yet this season, and now starting guard Damien Lewis is hurt too. Lewis has been the only bright spot on the line, so losing him is a big deal.
As mentioned above, no quarterback has faced more pressures than Young in 2026. Luke Fortner, Rasheed Walker, and Monroe Freeling have been bad this year, and this line is too expensive to be playing like this.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
The Panthers’ defensive line was supposed to be a strength. Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III were the reliable veterans, while Cam Jackson, Lee Hunter, and Aaron Hall provided the depth.
Instead, all of those guys, save for Hall, have been disappointing. Hunter and Derrick Brown have been especially disappointing, and the team is going to need both of them to play better down the stretch.
All of those linemen have combined for zero sacks and one tackle for loss through four games. That’s nowhere near good enough.
Linebacker
The Panthers knew they had to reinvent the linebacker room this offseason, and that’s exactly what they did. Devin Lloyd, Bobby Okereke, and Jaelan Philips were all added, and all three have been big difference-makers already.
The starting inside duo of Lloyd and Okereke has been great. Phillips has two sacks, but he needs to be a little more consistent considering how much he’s being paid. Princely Umanmielen has been a nice surprise, as he leads the team with three sacks.
Grade: B
Secondary
The Panthers’ secondary is hard to judge right now because of the injuries. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson were mostly playing fine until they both went down in Week 3. The safety play has been inconsistent, and the unit, overall, gives up too many big plays.
The Panthers are giving up almost 28 points per game, and the defensive backs have just been too inconsistent. Akayleb Evans just had a horrible showing in Week 4, which is concerning considering the injury issues the team is dealing with.
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