The Carolina Panthers entered the offseason with some positive momentum for once. The team won the NFC South in 2025 and had a good showing in the playoffs.
There were some clear needs that needed to be addressed in the offseason, and the team did a fine job of that. Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips were the biggest additions, and both should fill huge roles on defense.
With Week 1 about to start, let’s identify the best decision the Panthers made and the biggest risk they are taking.
Smartest Decision
The smartest decision the Panthers made is signing Devin Lloyd. Lloyd had the best season of his career in 2025, ending with 81 tackles, six tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and five interceptions.
Lloyd earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career and earned an elite 88.6 Pro Football Focus grade. Only two linebackers in the league had a higher grade than Lloyd, and the linebacker excelled as a run defender, in pass coverage, and as a pass rusher.
The Panthers desperately needed an upgrade at inside linebacker. In 2025, the team had Christian Rozeboom at the position. Rozeboom collected a ton of tackles, but he only managed a 47.1 PFF grade and was a liability in coverage.
Now, the Panthers have Lloyd, who is going to wear the green dot and never has to leave the field. This is the type of linebacker the Panthers have needed since Luke Kuechly‘s retirement.
Riskiest Bet
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The riskiest bet the Panthers are making is with their pass-catcher group. The only notable addition the team made was veteran tight end Darren Waller, who just joined the team last month.
As a result, the Panthers are rolling with Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette at wide receiver, with Waller, Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans at tight end. Essentially, the team is banking on Legette having a career season and the tight end room playing much better than it did a year ago.
The thing is, this is a crucial season for Bryce Young, so it would have been nice to get the passer as much help as possible. Instead, barring something unforeseen, Young will have to heavily rely on McMillan once again.
