More than a month of the 2026 College Football season is under our belts. At this point, we have a pretty good idea of which teams are real contenders, which teams will be firing their coaches, and who the real stars are across the league.

What we also have is a pretty good sample size for the members of the 2027 NFL Draft class. Five games gives fans and evaluators enough of a picture to be able to start piecing together draft projections.

In lieu of a theme in this week’s draft report, I think it’s time to start putting together the Big Board for what will ultimately become the 2027 NFL Draft.

Yes, it is still early, and every team has at least six more games for their stars to show their worth to scouts and evaluators. Some teams will likely have ten more games to do so, with conference championships and postseason play.

However, it’s never too early to begin draft season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the first SportCLT Big Board of the 2027 NFL Draft.

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

It wouldn’t be a fair and honest big board without Ohio State’s spectacular wide receiver at the top. Jeremiah Smith has been in a league of his own the past few seasons as a receiver, and it’s hard to see anyone challenge him for the title of WR1 in this year’s class.

Strengths: There isn’t much Smith can’t do on the field. Reminiscent of another star “Smith” receiver back in 2020, Jeremiah is destroying the stat sheet every week. Jeremiah Smith has a strong frame with explosive athletic ability to match, allowing him to overwhelm at and after the catch point. His hands are as solid as they come, and he has the necessary long speed to get away from defenders.

Area of Improvement: Despite his already otherworldly numbers, Smith can still get better. In particular, Smith’s route-running is not part of his top tier skillset. Often times, Smith will just win at the break or at the catch point simply due to his overwhelming athletic advantage. If Smith becomes more meticulous at the tops of his routes, he can become an unstoppable force, even in the NFL.

To sum it up - you’re probably looking at the best receiver prospect since Ja’Marr Chase. Other OSU receivers have been hyped up in recent years, but Smith has been the best of all of them at the collegiate level.

With the 2028 NFL Draft having more talented quarterbacks than 2027, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for a QB-needy team to wait until 2028 for their signal-caller and rather add Smith in this draft.

2. Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas

On the defensive side of the ball, Simmons is one of the most impressive edge rusher prospects in a long time. Even as a true freshman, he was anchoring the Longhorns’ defense.

Strengths: Simmons is a monster pass rusher. He has a bevy of moves at his disposal, and even when he doesn’t use them, can generally win with his athletic advantage. Simmons is also disciplined, and projects to be able to set a strong edge in the run game.

Area of Improvement: Game-to-game consistency is something Simmons can improve upon. In the past, including this season, Simmons can put together monster performances, only to be average the next week by his own standards.

The 2027 NFL Draft class is filled with strong edge rushers, but Simmons combination of traits, technique, and tape land him at the top of the list.

3. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame

Defensive back is another strength of the 2027 NFL Draft class. Along with multiple talented safeties, Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore leads the way for the corners. You likely won’t hear his name called during Notre Dame games, and for good reason - Moore is a complete blanket in coverage.

Strengths: Leonard Moore brings prototypical size to the position. At 6’2”, just under 200lbs, Moore fits the mold as a boundary corner in the NFL. Moore’s movement ability and ball skills give his frame an extra edge, as he’s able to shut down even the tallest, longest receivers.

Area of Improvement: More on-ball production would be nice to see for someone projected to go in the Top 5 picks. It isn’t always necessary, but through almost half the season, we’ve yet to see an interception (Moore had 5 total INTs in 2025).

There haven’t been many pure cover corner prospects with the pedigree of Moore, you’d have to go back to the Stingley/Gardner class. Moore’s ability to be a Top 10 corner in the NFL will likely push him to the top of the class like they were back in 2022.

4. Jordan Seaton, OT, Louisiana State

Making the move from Colorado to LSU, Jordan Seaton’s ability as a stalwart tackle has been on display in front of many more eyes. The former 5 star’s top shelf traits will likely land him as a top half of Day 1 selection.

Strengths: Seaton is a large human (6’5’’, 310lbs) but moves like a much smaller one. The ability to get out in space in the run game and play isolated in pass protection gives Seaton an edge among the offensive linemen in this class. While not the biggest tackle prospect in recent memory, Seaton is more than strong enough to hold his own against power-based rushers.

Area of Improvement: You’d like to see Seaton be more decisive as a striker. Patience can be a good thing in pass protection, but only if you can mirror/match the defensive lineman to a high degree, which Seaton may not be able to do immediately in the NFL.

Left tackle will always be a premium position in NFL drafts. Between Seaton and Texas’ Trevor Goosby, there will be multiple offensive linemen selected in the first half of Day 1 in April.

5. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida

Probably my favorite prospect so far in the 2027 NFL Draft, Florida’s Jadan Baugh has been putting on a show to start the season. While he hasn’t quite reached the level of prospect that Jeremiyah Love, Ashton Jeanty, and Bijan Robinson have recently, Baugh is a different type of runner, and is still very impressive in his own right.

Strengths: Baugh is an incredible mover for his size. When watching him, you’d think Baugh is around 205lbs, cutting and outrunning defenders. The truth is, Baugh is pushing 230lbs, almost all of it as functional mass. Size, speed, strength, and the ability to play as a pass-catcher when necessary will have Baugh pushing for RB1 throughout the draft process.

Areas of Improvement: Baugh is fast, but lacks the top end speed of other former RB1 picks in recent drafts. While he can catch passes, Florida’s offense hasn’t stressed that part of his game too much this season; you’d like to see more good reps as a pass-catcher for Baugh.

There hasn’t been a real bruiser back that can move like Baugh in the NFL in quite some time. He’s not Derrick Henry (no one is), but Baugh can end up being someone in the mold of Michael Turner. A running back with that type of impact absolutely deserves to be a first round pick.

6. Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina

The other side of the Colin Simmons coin for this class’s edge rushers is Dylan Stewart. While Simmons is like a Master Jedi - cool, technical, and smart with his rushes, Stewart is like a Sith Lord - raw, powerful, and occasionally, undisciplined.

Strengths: Point-blank there is no one that can successfully, continuously stop Stewart when he is playing at full health. The strength, speed, and bend for someone at his size is rare, and often game-wrecking for opposing offenses. Even as a true freshman, Stewart terrorized the SEC for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Areas of Improvement: Back to the Sith Lord point, Stewart’s worst enemy is himself. Multiple times throughout his collegiate career, Stewart has picked up unnecessary penalties that put his team in adverse scenarios. Recently, Stewart was even suspended from the team for his conduct in South Carolina’s loss to Alabama.

If Stewart can get out of his own way, he will be a special player in the NFL. He has the raw talent and pass rush package to match up with the best. Perhaps the best part about Stewart as a prospect is that he can be much better - something that should terrify quarterbacks everywhere.

7. Will Echoles, DL, Mississippi

Defensive line isn’t as robust a group as the edge rushers are, but there are equally talented players at the top, headlined by Will Echoles. The Ole Miss defensive lineman has been a force in both run defense and as a pass rusher.

Strengths: Probably the most dominant interior force in the country, Echoles is a nightmare matchup to block one-on-one. Echoles uses his hands/arms well to dictate the terms of engagement with the offensive linemen he plays against, displacing and moving them in the run game to muddy up lanes.

Areas of Improvement: It’s hard to have a lot of on-ball production when you’re the focus on the offensive game plan, but ideally Echoles would boast better than half a sack through four contests. Echoles could also work on adding more explosive movements to his game, splitting double teams off of the snap as opposed to consistently fighting through them.

Having teams gameplan around you is one of the best compliments you can receive as a player. When Florida hosted Ole Miss, they would consistently structure their runs away from the talented defensive lineman. Teams looking for a stout interior presence to their defensive front should start their boards with Will Echoles.

8. Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana

The step down from Jeremiah Smith to the next receiver in the 2027 NFL Draft is a plateau, but not a particularly steep one with Charlie Becker available. The Indiana star receiver is looking to follow in Omar Cooper Jr’s footsteps as a first round pick, but will likely go much, much higher than Cooper did in 2026.

Strengths: Becker has hands for days - if the ball is going toward him, he’s bringing it down. Strong hands, as well as good body control at the catch point and strong contact balance, make Becker an ideal deep threat in the passing game.

Areas of Improvement: Becker doesn’t have the high-end breakaway speed that other top receivers have had in year’s past. While it isn’t the fault of Becker, but rather his athletic program and coaches, we haven’t seen Becker play against good competition as the true No. 1 option this season. If Becker can continue his stellar play against meaningful opponents down the stretch, he will likely be moved up even higher on the board.

He’ll likely draw Jordy Nelson, Alec Pierce, and Eric Decker comparisons, but don’t get it twisted, Becker is a baller. If it weren’t for Jeremiah Smith, Becker would have a very good chance of being the first receiver taken.

9. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State

What was once considered to be an all-timer for quarterback classes has fizzled out over the first month and change of the 2026 College Football season. However, the one draft-eligible QB trying to keep the hype alive is Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker.

After a slow start to the season transferring from North Texas to OKST, Mestemaker has regained the hype surrounding him.

Strengths: Mestemaker is fearless. Whether it’s standing in the pocket and taking hits or putting his own body on the line with runs, Mestemaker will do whatever needs to be done in order to move the ball and score. He has a more than adequate arm, and is athletic enough to present as a run threat when the pass is covered. Mestemaker also has a habit of showing up big against big time opponents - just look at what he did against Oregon.

Areas of Improvement: While impressive, Mestemaker still needs to be more consistent between drives and from game to game. Mestemaker does a good job of being willing to make plays, but this also leads to him putting the ball in harm’s way. Being efficient and explosive is the next step in his passing game development.

Unfortunately, Mestemaker is not guaranteed to be in the 2027 NFL Draft class; he has another year of eligibility, and is signed to Oklahoma State for another year on his NIL deal. Still, if Mestemaker decides to declare for this year’s draft, it will be hard for any QB to dethrone him based on talent and tape alone.

10. Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama

Rounding out the Top 10 of our Big Board is another talented edge rusher in the 2027 NFL Draft class. Alabama’s Yhonzae Pierre may not be in the tier of rusher as Simmons or Stewart, but is a very good player himself, and will only get more chances to show it as Alabama proceeds through their gauntlet of a schedule.

Strengths: Pierre might be the best run-defending edge rusher in the class. His ability to set and maintain the edge in the run game, while also being disciplined about QB scrambling/runs, is impressive. Pierre is also a bendy and quick rusher in the pass game, and can routinely get underneath offensive linemen who aren’t quick enough to stop it.

Areas of Improvement: Continuing to expand the pass rush bag is the next step for Pierre. Being more consistent with power/bull rushes will add a strength element to the pass rush that will make Pierre even harder to defend against.

If Yhonzae Pierre continues to progress, he will be able to help rekindle the run of elite edge rushers that Alabama was able to put in the NFL under Nick Saban.

First Player Out: Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama

There are a great many players that could’ve vied for this spot, but I just can’t quite quit Ryan Coleman-Williams. Now that the highlights are more reminiscent of the freshman tape instead of last year, RCW has a real chance of hearing his name called on Day 1.

Strengths: Coleman-Williams is a special mover with the ball in his hands. We haven’t seen a player that can do what he can after the catch in a long time. From avoiding contact to taking contact and bouncing off of it, RCW is probably the most creative YAC (yards after catch) threat the NFL Draft has seen in recent history.

Area of Improvement: Consistency is the name of the game with RCW. If he catches the ball, there’s a 90% chance you’re going to see a play that goes on SC Top 10 the next day. The question becomes “will he catch it?” due to the number of drops Coleman-Williams has accrued over his time at Alabama.

Now, with new experimental tech from Alabama’s training staff and RCW’s willingness to improve, the drop issue seems to have mostly subsided. If the issue goes away altogether, Coleman-Williams is someone a team almost has to draft if they need an explosive playmaker.

As stated above, there are many more players that will continue to make a case at being high picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. We didn’t even get to the talented tight ends at the top, the rest of the star corners, or any of the high-impact safeties that are available this year.

All of these guys will continue to showcase their skills throughout the season. This week, here are the marquee matchups to watch to see some of these stars in action:

• Iowa (20) vs. Washington (Friday)

• Iowa State vs. BYU (8) (Friday)

• Indiana (7) vs. Nebraska

• UCLA (21) vs. Oregon (13)

• Texas (1) vs. Oklahoma - Red River Showdown

• Georgia (2) vs. Alabama (6)

Perhaps the match of the season, Alabama (6) hosts Georgia (2) at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday. Carolina’s own Bryce Young is the celebrity guest picker on the College Gameday show, representing both Alabama and what he’s done for the Carolina Panthers this season.

Maybe Young can give the scouting staff some insight from this game like he was able to with Tetairoa McMillan back in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Carolina waited eleven years for another audition to host on Sunday Night Football. After nearly a decade, the NFL scheduling committee decided to give the NFC South champions a test against a potent Detroit Lions offense, perhaps expecting Carolina to fail.

Well, to the shock and possible dismay of most of the people who picked the winner of this game, the Carolina Panthers passed the test.

Entering Week 4, Detroit had scored 31 points in each of their first three contests, and were looking to face a Carolina defense recently bereft of its two star corners.

Despite the deficiencies, Carolina held Detroit to a season-low 26 points, and took home the 32-26 victory.

Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but the Panthers showed the world that they are ready for more primetime games and are a force to be reckoned with, particularly on offense.

Fresh off of the win under the lights, let’s take a look at how the Panthers were able to pull off the home “upset.”

Defensive Gameplan

One of the keys to victory in last week’s preview column was having this banged-up defense keep everything in front of them. Without Horn and Jackson, it was always going to be difficult to try and man up against the Lions’ elite weaponry.

Credit to Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero, because outside of a few poor reps from Akayleb Evans, this defense did just what I asked them to.

Yes, Jared Goff ended the game with a whopping 412 passing yards on 52 (!) attempts, but the vast majority of those yards were dink-and-dunk throws that Carolina wanted Detroit to get.

In the run game, star tailback Jahmyr Gibbs only rushed for 46 yards on 15 attempts (3.1 yards per carry). Carolina’s linebackers, corners, and safeties were flying down in run support, stuffing Gibbs at the line and cleaning up any second chances.

And all of this success came without a real threat of a pass rush for 99% of the game! Carolina’s DL was unable to consistently pressure or move Jared Goff off of his platform, but did an excellent job at getting their arms up to bat or tip passes.

Derrick Brown is one of the best in the league at this, and had himself a few bats in this contest.

Aside from Brown, LB Devin Lloyd was phenomenal in his return after missing the game against Cleveland. Lloyd directed and helped nullify the Lions’ otherwise-potent run game.

Perhaps the most impressive defensive performance came from rookie corner Will Lee III. Lee, primarily covering Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams through the course of the game, was excellent.

Not only did Lee help lock down the Lions, but he also was part of the 4th down stop that ended the game for Carolina. In summary, Lee answered the call, stepping in for Horn and Jackson.

The same can’t be said for Evans, who allowed well over 150 yards in coverage, but that’s an issue the Panthers can look to address during the bye week.

Sure, Carolina’s defense gave up yards, but against one of the best offenses in the league, they hunkered down when they needed to, and helped give the offense opportunities to put up points.

And boy, did the offense put up some points.

Offensive Masterclass

For three weeks, everyone has been asking Carolina and Brad Idzik to get the run game working. With the entire nation watching, they finally pulled it off.

Not only did Chuba Hubbard rush for 122 yards on 20 carries (6.1 yards per carry), but the ability to set up the run went much smoother as well.

In Carolina’s first three matchups, it’s safe to say the offensive line got bullied in the run game. Against Cleveland specifically, Hubbard was routinely hit in the backfield, ending run plays before they even began.

Against Detroit, Carolina helped the offensive line by leaning into 12 and 13 personnel (2 and 3 tight ends on the field) looks, giving Hubbard more blockers to work with.

It certainly helps that the Detroit Lions don’t have as stout a DL unit as Chicago, Atlanta, and Cleveland, but Brad Idzik and the offensive line still deserve credit for helping create the lanes that haven’t been there this season.

Hubbard being able to take advantage of better looks was also a function of a nearly-unstoppable passing game, led by Bryce Young.

Young had another excellent performance, adding 329 yards and two touchdowns to his season totals. Bryce Young still leads the league in passing yards (1268) this season, and has yet to have one of the inconsistent performances that had plagued his first few years in the NFL.

With Jalen Coker absent in this matchup, star receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the main recipient of Young’s distribution of the ball. On the night, TMac had 14 receptions, 192 yards, and two touchdowns - all career highs for the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Carolina’s triumvirate was unstoppable. Whenever Detroit would attempt to change their defensive looks, Carolina would have answers. The RPO (run-pass option) game allowed Young to dictate how the defense would respond, setting up easier looks throughout the rest of the game.

In summary, Brad Idzik and his offense were ready for whatever Detroit could throw at them. And when the Lions would zig, Young and the offense would zag. The high-octane offensive performance culminated with both fans and players giving chants that we haven’t heard in Carolina in a decade.

Where Are We Now?

Despite the highs of winning a shootout in primetime, the injuries continued to pile up for an already-depleted Panthers squad.

In the 4th quarter, both EDGE Jaelan Phillips and OT Monroe Freeling left the game and did not return. Dave Canales was hopeful in his Monday press conference that both players would play in Week 6 - losing even more starters isn’t something the Panthers need right now.

Fortunately, the Carolina Panthers have the earliest-possible bye week this season. Sure, you’d like to have a bye week later in the year to rest up for a potential playoff push, but no team needs a break right now more than the Panthers.

A Week 5 bye week also gives the opportunity for players placed on injured reserve to be activated and see their first football of the season. Guys like RB Trevor Etienne, OL Brady Christensen, and OT Taylor Moton could all be coming back to the team over the break.

Getting back anybody at this point would be huge. The Panthers have a date in Philly following the bye, and a division matchup against Tampa Bay soon after. Carolina’s remaining schedule tracks to be even more difficult than the first four games, so reinforcements are desperately needed.

For a team to have to wait eleven years for their shot on the big stage of Sunday Night Football, the Carolina Panthers understood the assignment.

From a downpour of offensive firepower to a tailor-made defensive scheme, the Panthers were ready for battle and emerged victorious.

With showings like these, Sunday Night Football will be back soon - ready to show off the Whitewater Center, Rural Hill Corn Maze, Reed Gold Mine, and just how passionate the Carolina Panthers fanbase can be.

With the Carolina Panthers on their bye week, there’s no better time to announce SportCLT’s new merch line, including the Queen City Skyline tee.

Use code “CLTJACOB“ to get 10% off your first order at merchclt.com!

It’s nearly time. After almost 11 years, the Carolina Panthers will host Sunday Night Football at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Panthers will don their all black uniforms and helmets to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

There is a lot at stake in this game. Not only are the Panthers trying to show the schedule-makers that they belong more on primetime, but the team is also trying to avoid the dreaded 1-3 start to the season.

In both of the previous years of Dave Canales’ tenure at Head Coach, Carolina has started 1-3. Both of those seasons resulted in losing records.

A 1-3 doesn’t necessarily mean the season is over, but it certainly doesn’t help for a team that entered the season with playoff aspirations. If Carolina wants to avoid being behind the eight ball before the bye week, a victory is much-needed.

With the stage set, let’s take a look at what the Panthers need to accomplish on Sunday in order to enter the bye week without a losing record.

Keys to Victory

1) Stay healthy

Easier said than done for this Panthers team so far, but Carolina cannot afford any more crucial injuries this early in the season. To date, the following players have already missed at least one game or are slated to miss the matchup against Detroit:

• Ickey Ekwonu

• Damien Lewis

• Taylor Moton

• Brady Christensen

• Chris Brazzell II

• Xavier Legette

• Jonathon Brooks

• Nic Scourton

• Pat Jones

• Bobby Brown III

• Turk Wharton

• Devin Lloyd

• Jaycee Horn

• Mike Jackson

• Nick Scott

Most of these players are starters/key contributors to their positions. In order to survive not only the matchup in front of them, but the prolonged NFL season, Carolina must get through one week with a relatively clean bill of health.

2) Get the run going

Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik has stated just how important the run game is to this offense. Still, the Panthers have not been able to have a successful run game through three weeks of NFL football.

As we saw in Cleveland, if the offense is one-dimensional, even if Bryce Young has a high-output performance in the pass game, it won’t always lead to wins.

Detroit presents a unique matchup in fielding many backups on defense. Being able to get the run game working on the outside, where reserve defensive backs will have to make tackles is one way to try and build the run to compliment the pass.

Using backs other than Chuba Hubbard is key as well. Outside of one series against the Browns, AJ Dillon didn’t see the field, even on short yardage scenarios. New practice squad callup Tre Tyus didn’t touch the ball once on offense.

Having a stable of running backs that can spell Chuba Hubbard for a few drives will allow the team captain to stay fresh and be able to work late into games as a runner.

3) Keep everything in front on defense

For perhaps the first time ever, this column is imploring Carolina to deploy the softer zone defensive coverages. With the absence of both Mike Jackson and Jaycee Horn, it is imperative that Ejiro Evero help out the reserve corners with more zone looks.

Because the Lions are so potent and able to score at will, keeping everything in front and not allowing them to beat the defenders over the top is almost the only way to stay in this game.

Will Lee III and whoever is his running mate on the other side of the field have their work cut out for them. The defense can’t afford to have Lee bite on any double moves in this contest.

4) Win the shootout - don’t let up

It it apparent that Carolina’s defense, ravaged by injury, will likely give up a lot of points. Fortunately, Detroit is in the same boat - both starting safeties have been out all season, and the Lions defense is porous along the back end.

In order to win this game, Carolina will have to outscore Detroit. I know, this isn’t necessarily hidden wisdom, but the odds are that this game will be a high-scoring affair.

For Carolina to win, it is imperative to limit mistakes and score on as many drives as possible. And by score, it needs to be touchdowns, not field goals. Don’t shy away from being aggressive in moving the chains just because it didn’t work in Cleveland.

The more touchdown drives, the better.

Perhaps it’s being hopelessly optimistic as a Carolina sports writer, but the Panthers absolutely have a chance to win this contest.

Like the keys above state, scoring a ton of points will be the path to victory for Carolina in the Sunday Night Football battle of the big cats.

Being 2-2 at the bye week wouldn’t be half bad for a team sporting as many injuries as Carolina is to this point. In order to make that happen, the Panthers will have to do something they still haven’t done through three weeks - play a complete game.

Late Wednesday (9.30) morning, Carolina fans were hit with some tough news. Star corner duo Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson were both placed on injured reserve, missing at least the next four games each.

Coming into the season, corner was probably the strongest spot on the Panthers roster. Compared to the rest of the NFL, Carolina had one of, if not the best set of starting corners.

Now, after just the third game of the season, the Panthers will be without their stars along the back end of the defense for the foreseeable future.

Head Coach Dave Canales indicated in his presser on Wednesday that Horn and Jackson are both expected to return to the team, but it will be much later in the season.

Unfortunately, Carolina’s options at corner are both limited and bad. With a date on Sunday Night Football with the Detroit Lions coming up, let’s take a look at what Carolina can do to patch up the corner conundrum in the interim.

Internal Options

Any list that Carolina has made in replacing Horn and Jackson has to start with Will Lee III. The fourth round pick rookie has already seen significant playing time this season, and has had both really good and really bad reps.

The initial plan with drafting Lee was to allow him to learn as a boundary corner, while Jaycee Horn got to move inside to the slot on tougher assignments. Lee’s experience (albeit limited) on the outside is actually a positive going forward, as he will most likely have to be one of the boundary corners for the next handful of games.

Where Lee will have to improve is in keeping his eye on both the ball and his assignments, too often has he been out of position on deep, developing route concepts.

As the de facto CB1, Lee will be thrust into the most difficult matchups that he could possibly see (when in man coverage). In the long run, this will likely help his development, but in the short term, expect some big plays courtesy of Lee.

Carolina’s remaining in-house options are as follows:

• Akayleb Evans, mainly special teams/reserve corner

• Chau Smith-Wade, has mostly played the slot, smaller for an outside corner

• Corey Thornton - practice squad

• Robert Rochell - practice squad, just signed in wake of Horn and Jackson injuries

• DeVonta Smith - rookie UDFA, practice squad

• Zion Childress - practice squad

At least for Week 4, expect to see a lot of Akayleb Evans and Chau Smith-Wade. Both of Evans and CSW have reps on game day, and are the most familiar with Ejiro Evero’s system.

Going forward, however, it’s hard to see the Panthers not looking externally for corner help. The team can’t and probably shouldn’t be comfortable with leaving a rookie and mainly special teams players alone against some of the better offenses in the NFL.

Free Agent DBs

If Dan Morgan wants to avoid giving up draft capital, which has been his M.O. through most of his tenure as General Manager, then the free agency market is the place to turn to for help.

While the Panthers internal options don’t inspire confidence, the free agency market is probably worse. Here are the top corners on the market, according to Spotrac:

The market is even thinner than it appears, as Kenny Moore has already signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

If Carolina is serious about replacing Horn and Jackson with high-end talent, there is one more option.

Trade Targets

Sending draft capital or players away is never a palatable choice, but if Carolina wants to fill the void with a bit more talent than what is currently on the roster or in free agency, making a trade might be the best choice.

Joey Porter Jr. is a popular name among trade talks, as he has wanted and not materialized a contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers following the extensions of other top young corners.

While Porter would certainly be the most talented of likely available options, he doesn’t necessarily fit the zone-heavy scheme that Ejiro Evero tends to deploy.

The cost in a Porter deal would likely be too rich for Carolina to give up as well. It’s been rumored that the Steelers would want a 2nd round pick for Porter, and I can’t see Morgan parting with such a high draft pick for someone that doesn’t necessarily fit.

Another name that could make since is LA Chargers and former Carolina corner Donte Jackson. After signing in LA in free agency a few seasons ago, Jackson has lost the starting role to the young corners the Chargers have developed.

Jackson was certainly an up-and-down player among the fanbase, but would cost much less than Porter and is familiar with the Carolinas.

Good corners often aren’t available for trade, especially in-season. Any other name would likely be on the edge of another team’s depth chart, and at that point, it probably makes more sense just to play the players familiar with Carolina’s system.

Potentially 8+ weeks without your top two corners is close to a death sentence for a defense. If Carolina doesn’t make at least some low-level moves while waiting for Horn and Jackson to return, the secondary will likely be a huge weak point.

Both the fans and the Panthers alike will have to hope for the development of Will Lee III and other corners on the depth chart to hold it down for the time being.

One quarter of the college football season is in the books! Texas has risen to the top, Georgia isn’t far behind, and many Southeastern Conference teams have found their way into the Week 4 AP Poll.

Week 4 is significant around the college football landscape.

Most of the Power 4 teams have started conference play, we’ve usually gotten fun, ranked matchups by this point, and teams have started separating themselves as College Football Playoff contenders.

As you can tell by the title, this week’s focus will be on the SEC ranked matchups that have taken place this past weekend. We got upsets, blowouts, and everything in between.

Today, let’s look at the most talented conference’s biggest week of conference play so far, and how those games impacted the draft stock of some of the country’s best players.

Florida stuns Ole Miss

One of the most anticipated matchups of the week brought Ole Miss, hot off of their victory against LSU, down to The Swamp to face a feisty Florida offense.

Unfortunately, with Kewan Lacy absent, we weren’t able to get RB1 vs. RB2. Still, RB1 Jadan Baugh showed out, putting up another ridiculous stat line of 142 yards and 3 touchdowns on 29 carries.

Baugh’s backup Duke Clark also had a day, rushing for 126 yards and his own touchdown. Clark isn’t eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, but is someone to keep an eye on.

In total, Florida mustered 6 rushing touchdowns and 52 points against an Ole Miss defense that doesn’t lack for talent. Defensive lineman Will Echoles held his own against the dominant Florida rush attack.

Echoles has been one of, if not the best interior defensive lineman in the country this season. With matchups against Texas, Georgia, and the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State later in the season, he will become a household name quickly.

Ole Miss’s offensive stars did their part as well. Trinidad Chambliss had three total touchdowns on the day. His lone passing score was to speedster Deuce Alexander, who was really the only player to get going against the Gator defense.

Alexander will be a name to watch more as draft season starts to heat up. His strong route-running, combined with near game-breaking speed have drawn comparisons to former Alabama star Jameson Williams.

While I’m not quite there yet on Alexander, his tantalizing traits will certainly have his name pushed up when the evaluation process starts in earnest during early 2027.

Mississippi State defeats Missouri

The 2028 QB-off did not disappoint. Both Austin Simmons and Kamario Taylor were able to light up each other’s defenses, leading to a pretty fun game.

Taylor began and ended the game with 14 point quarters, showing off his arm and the unstoppable moon ball it produces. Taylor ended up with 360 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a win.

Taylor’s main recipient of these passes was Anthony Evans III. The former Georgia Bulldog, Evans is already off to a hot start this season, leading the entire SEC in receptions at 28.

While not the biggest or strongest, Evans is a reliable target that is able to churn yards after the catch. Should he continue his pace, he would likely end up around 1200 yards and 12+ touchdowns, numbers that are hard to ignore in the preliminary draft process.

On the other side of the ball, Simmons diced up the Bulldogs’ defense, throwing for his own 295 yards and three scores. The main target for Simmons is this game was Cayden Lee, a transfer from Ole Miss.

Lee, just like Evans, is another 4th-year intraconference transfer that is making waves on his new team. Lee is a bit smaller, but has the speed and ball skills to burn defenders deep.

Both teams and their quarterbacks are rewarded after this matchup with more ranked games. Mississippi State will host (7) Alabama this weekend, and Missouri gets to host (8) Florida.

Texas barely holds off Tennessee

In the battle of the oranges, Texas ultimately held off a Tennessee team that didn’t want to play until the second half. While the previously-mentioned games were hallmarked by strong offensive play, this match was all about the defense.

For starters, Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons had himself a day. The future Top 10 pick ended the day with 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and FIVE (5) sacks on true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon.

Five other players registered a sack for the Longhorns, as the defensive front just shut the Volunteers down. Pitt transfer Rasheem Biles had 11 tackles and a sack to himself.

Tennessee’s defense got after the quarterback as well, producing six sacks on Arch Manning. Senior linebacker Arion Carter led the way with 11 tackles.

As good as the defenses were, the quarterback play was equally as poor. This was Brandon’s first test as a highly-recruited true freshman, and he did not pass.

For Arch Manning, a strong performance against a ranked team in his senior season would’ve been nice, but the Tennessee defense turned it from his usual up-and-down play into a pretty poor performance.

Both teams will have the opportunity to bounce back soon. Tennessee faces off against Auburn this week, and Texas gets a bye before the Red River Showdown on October 10.

LSU gets back on track against Texas A&M

There isn’t much to say about this game other than LSU avenging their horrible loss from last season to the Aggies. The Tigers dominated A&M in this match, finishing the day with a 35-6 victory.

LSU’s offense had a field day, with Sam Leavitt throwing for 312 yards and two scores, and multiple skill players scoring two touchdowns a piece. Leavitt has had a disappointing start relative to the expectations he garnered transferring from Arizona State, so a stable performance was good for him.

Where the focus needs to lie in this game is on Texas A&M quarterbacks Marcel Reed.

Reed helped lead the Aggies to a near-undefeated season in 2025, relying on pushing the ball deep to star receiver Mario Craver. Ultimately, Reed was good enough to help send A&M to a playoff game.

With expectations that Reed would improve this season, he has done nothing but disappoint. Too often are the red flags from last season - slow processing, bad decision-making, lack of field vision, etc. - showing up this year.

A&M has added weapons on offense as well, but it just isn’t materializing for Reed. There are still eight games to go, and plenty of time to turn the season around, but Reed and the Aggies offense has been one of the major disappointments to start the 2026 season.

Alabama embarrasses South Carolina

If what LSU did to A&M was a strong win, than this was an embarrassment for South Carolina. In a matchup that has been surprisingly difficult for the Crimson Tide over the past few seasons, Alabama handled the Gamecocks, 49-18.

During last week’s column, I placed Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell in the “standby” section, as someone who could potentially be a first rounder in 2028’s NFL Draft. It’s safe to say we don’t have to be on standby anymore.

In his fourth game as a starter, Russell put on a show, going 21/27 for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Russell also ran for one score.

Four different Alabama players carried the ball multiple times, star receiver (with his gloves back on) Ryan Coleman-Williams had a two touchdown performance, and blocking tight end Josh Ford had an early entry for catch of the year.

On defense, Red Morgan added another touchdown (pick six), linebacker duo Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz combined for 24 tackles, and star edge rusher Yhonzae Pierre registered another half-sack.

Outside of the first drive on both sides of the ball, there wasn’t much Alabama did that wasn’t a positive.

For South Carolina, this was a strong opportunity for LaNorris Sellers and the offense to get back on track following a collapse against Mississippi State. While running back Matt Fuller was able to make a few good plays, the offense mostly didn’t work for the Gamecocks.

Sellers continued his slower, indecisive play in this contest, ultimately only ending up with one touchdown and one interception against a Tide defense that was missing multiple rotation players.

The opportunities aren’t going to get much easier for the Gamecocks offense throughout the rest of the season. SC has dates with Kentucky (24), Florida (8), and Tennessee (17) all in a row, and faces Georgia (2) and Clemson in consecutive weeks to end the season.

If Sellers doesn’t revert back to his redshirt freshman form, his draft stock may continue to plummet.

Despite the Gamecocks offensive woes, the story of this match was the meltdown of star edge rusher Dylan Stewart. Stewart, who nursed a back injury entering the season, did not have a strong performance.

He ended the game without a tackle or sack (albeit on limited snaps), and picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. To be frank, Stewart is lucky he wasn’t penalized more, as he got away with punching Alabama players throughout the game.

This is not the first time Stewart has accumulated penalties of this nature. Ever since starting as a true freshman Stewart has drawn superfluous penalties that have hurt the team’s chances at winning.

Ultimately, Head Coach Shane Beamer has decided to suspend Stewart following his conduct in the loss to Alabama.

It’s unclear when, or if Stewart will play again this season. What is clear is that Stewart’s own conduct has likely hurt his draft stock, should he choose to enter in 2027.

Someone who was once thought of as a lock to be drafted within the Top 5-7 picks, may see his stock drop due to concerns not related to his immense talent.

Georgia dominates Oklahoma

Probably the most boring of last week’s SEC matchups was Georgia’s rout of the Sooners. In what became a 41-13 victory, the Bulldogs led from the start and never looked back.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton had a pretty pedestrian day, by his standards, only throwing for 171 yards and a score (plus an interception), while rushing for a net of 0 yards.

The Bulldogs defense did most of the heavy lifting - linebacker Chris Cole ended the day with 8 tackles and a sack. Sure, Georgia is a stout defense, but Oklahoma made it easy for them.

Continuing with the theme of once-hyped quarterbacks that have let down expectations, Oklahoma QB John Mateer has had a rough start to the season.

Mateer, the former Washington State transfer, got off to a strong start to the 2025 season before suffering an injury to his throwing hand, forcing him to miss time. Since then, Mateer has been average at best and destructive to his team’s chances at worst.

It’s hard to envision Mateer returning to form given his recent play, but the Sooners may need to see it quickly if they want to get the season back on track.

Oregon overcomes USC

This one clearly isn’t an SEC matchup, but the game between the Trojans and the Ducks was one of the more significant contests over the weekend.

Early in the game, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore suffered a horrible hit to the upper body, which removed him from the game and ultimately resulted in a concussion. Thankfully, Moore seems to have avoided major complications, but is in the concussion protocol.

When Moore went out of the game, backup and former 5 star quarterback Dylan Raiola was tasked with stepping in, and boy did he deliver.

In Raiola’s first real action of the season, he posted 19/25 passing, for 289 yards and two touchdowns on the way to leading Oregon to the win. In total, Oregon finished the game with over 500 yards and with 41 points against a previously-unbeaten USC team.

While the circumstances are the opposite from ideal, Raiola’s willingness to test defenses downfield and operating quicker in the pocket may be just what the Ducks needed to get their season back on track.

Earlier in the year, the offense would stagnate and seemed lifeless, but with Raiola under center in this game, the talent that Oregon has at its disposal seemed to come to life.

If Raiola is forced into starting multiple games, Oregon’s playoff chances could be back on track, given Raiola is able to operate at a similar level compared to what he did against USC.

For Dante Moore, the most important thing is coming away healthy and ready to play whenever the team needs him again.

Player of the Month

There have been many impressive players across the first month of the college football season. Some of them have been expected, guys like Colin Simmons and Jadan Baugh were already on the radar.

Someone who was not on my personal draft shortlist to start the season is Cal safety Kingston Lopa.

Lopa spent his first two seasons at Oregon, redshirting his first year and getting into the rotation with Dillon Thieneman in year two. Now, as a starter for Cal, Lopa has lit the college football landscape on fire.

Through four games, Kingston Lopa has 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, and FIVE (5) interceptions, with 104 interception return yards and one pick six.

Lopa has been an absolute revelation for the Golden Bears, who, despite being 2-2 to start the year, can get into shootouts with anyone behind the arm of Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele.

If Lopa even keeps up half the pace of his first four games, he will be in strong consideration of going in Round 1 of a stacked 2027 NFL Draft.

Player of the Week

I couldn’t go an entire month without mentioning a performance from who many consider to be the best player in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Through four games, Jeremiah Smith leads all of FBS with 617 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Last week’s performance may have been the most impressive of that total.

Against Illinois, Smith amassed 217 yards and four touchdowns on 12 receptions. Unreal numbers for the majority of receivers to have ever played college football, but just another Saturday at the office for Smith.

Smith has already set the Ohio State record for most receiving yards from a Buckeyes player, and will likely break both the receptions and receiving touchdowns school records as well.

It’s hard to see Smith slowing down, and if he doesn’t we’ll be discussing him in rare air among the likes of DeVonta Smith, Randy Moss, and Larry Fitzgerald.

Don’t think that the ranked SEC matchups are over just yet. Despite some teams sliding down the rankings, there are still plenty of fun games to watch this weekend.

Keep your eyes on these particular matchups, including College Gameday’s first trip to Iowa City in twenty years!

• Pitt vs. Virginia Tech (Friday)

• Notre Dame (3) vs. North Carolina

• Vanderbilt vs. Georgia (2)

• Florida (8) vs. Missouri (25)

• Clemson vs. Miami (4)

• Alabama (7) vs. Mississippi State (16)

• Ohio State (3) vs. Iowa (14)

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Well, the Panthers played a football game on Sunday.

I’m not quite sure you could call it a full game, considering the woes on both sides of the ball, but the Panthers were certainly present and on the field in Cleveland. The problem was, the Cleveland Browns were wholly overprepared and wanted the win more.

From the offensive line being gashed, to more defensive soft spots in coverage, to a litany of key injuries by the end of the contest, Carolina was woefully outmatched.

It’s worth highlighting the positives of this game before getting too deep into the doom and gloom. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald was a perfect 4/4 on field goal attempts (he did not take any extra point attempts).

New receiver and former Alabama teammate of Bryce Young John Metchie III had his first touchdown as a Carolina Panther. Brycen Tremayne was also effective in relief of Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, totaling 83 yards on four receptions.

Maema Njongmeta, in his first game this season, forced a fumble on the second half kickoff, which Thomas Incoom recovered.

Alright, that’s it. It’s hard to say there was much more positive about this game.

Despite the score finishing 21-18, Carolina was thoroughly dominated during this contest. Let’s take a look at what happened to allow such a loss, and see if the issues shown in this game are fixable in the short term, or if they portend worse losses down the line.

Schematic Defensive Issues

It wouldn’t be a Panthers review without a critique of how the defense is deployed. In fairness, this side of the ball played well for portions of the game. Mainly in the second half, the defense forced multiple punts to give the offense the chance to take a 12-10 lead.

However, the same points that this column, along with every Panther fan on social media brings up, were still present. The soft coverage/playing far off of the line to gain on money downs has to stop.

On the first play of the second quarter, Cleveland had a 4th and 3 opportunity on the Carolina 38 yard line. A stop means a turnover on downs with decent starting field position.

To the boundary, Akayleb Evans, in relief of Mike Jackson, is lined up eight yards off of the line of scrimmage. As I mentioned above, Cleveland only needs three yards to convert. This is a cushion of five yards.

Deshaun Watson takes the snap and finds KC Concepcion for a four yard gain, moving the chains.

Luckily for the defense, Cleveland committed a plethora of penalties on this drive that would back them out of field goal range, resulting in no points and a punt back to Carolina.

The result of no points on this drive doesn’t matter - giving up 3rd and 4th downs because of a soft scheme has been an issue over the past four seasons. It’s largely how Carolina lost in the playoffs against the LA Rams.

A soft, zone-heavy scheme might work if Carolina could get pressure with four rushers, but throughout every game this season, Carolina’s front has failed to contain quarterbacks in the pocket even when they get pressure.

Too often was Deshaun Watson able to turn back the clock seven years and scramble around the pocket to find open receivers. Frankly, the Panthers are lucky he was pretty inaccurate on the day, otherwise the 21 points allowed would look much larger.

While talent may have been an excuse through Weeks 1 and 2 in this department, both Jaelan Phillips and Pat Jones played in this game. These are your two big-bodied edge rushers that can set the edge while rushing, but failed to do so during the majority of this contest.

It gets to a point where if the talent can’t make plays, no matter who is out there, you have to start looking at the top for answers. The brass in Carolina have largely been noncommittal when it comes to defensive changes, but something has to change going forward.

All due respect and credit should be given to Cleveland for being ready and prepared to win in this game, but the Browns are not the Lions, Bengals, Ravens, Eagles, Saints, Seahawks, etc. on offense.

If Carolina’s defense doesn’t tighten up soon, playoffs will be the least of this team’s concerns.

The Offensive, Offensive Line

Entering Week 3, Bryce Young was the most-pressured quarterback in the NFL, having faced 31 pressures in two games.

Against Cleveland, Young faced 30 pressures, almost doubling the already league-leading season total.

There was such dysfunction among the blocking patterns that Young would often step up into the pocket to avoid pressure, only to get hit by another rusher.

The hog mollies didn’t fare much better in the run game. Chuba Hubbard was hit behind the line of scrimmage on multiple occasions, and only once AJ Dillon came in for a series late in the game did the run start to become viable.

Getting the run game going has been an issue all season - this team cannot continue to be one-dimensional on offense. Bryce Young, broken and battered from this game was still able to throw for 291 yards and a score, but it wasn’t enough.

Perhaps the worst part about this is there isn’t much to do in terms of change. Aside from simply waiting for Taylor Moton or Ickey Ekwonu to return to the lineup, Carolina will likely have to stick with what they’ve got. And what they’ve got isn’t great.

Mason Graham alone had seven pressures, as well as two sacks, one of them being on the 4th down attempt that seemingly sparked Bryce Young’s injury.

For the most expensive offensive line in the league, this can’t continue to keep happening. Yes, Ekwonu and Moton aren’t playing, but there have been plenty of resources invested in this unit to keep being the worst in the league.

And with Damien Lewis’ injury, it might just keep getting worse.

Injuries

Injuries aren’t necessarily something to try to find fault or blame, they’re just an unfortunate part of the NFL game. Carolina has been one of the most injured teams this season, and on Sunday, the list of injured players got much longer.

In this game alone, Carolina had the following players sustain injury:

• CB Jaycee Horn

• CB Mike Jackson

• iOL Damien Lewis

• QB Bryce Young

• WR Jalen Coker

This isn’t even taking into account that LB Devin Lloyd, S Nick Scott, and WR Xavier Legette all didn’t play vs. Cleveland.

The most significant of these injuries belongs to Jaycee Horn. As reported on Monday, it is feared that Horn tore his quad, and will likely be placed on the injured/reserve list.

Horn is probably the most important piece of Ejiro Evero’s defense. With the addition of Will Lee III this offseason, Horn was moved around a lot more on defense, going into the slot and following receivers like Drake London throughout the game.

Without Horn, Carolina will likely have to use each corner in stationary spots, making the defense even more predictable for opponents.

This prognostication isn’t even considering the possibility of Mike Jackson also missing time. If both of Carolina’s top corners can’t go, things on defense will begin to look dire quickly.

The possibility of looking outside the league for corner help can’t be ruled out. Dan Morgan has been hesitant to trade picks for players, but losing someone of Horn’s (and possibly Jackson’s) caliber may force Morgan’s hand to find a suitable replacement.

Jalen Coker’s injury is also concerning. Without the talented receiver in the game, the passing attack fell apart. Tetairoa McMillan has struggled to separate this season, and without Coker on the field, Cleveland was able to hone in on TMac to shut him down.

Coker entered the week with a nagging ankle injury, and left the game with a quad. If the injuries Coker has sustained make him unable to go against Detroit, this team is in for a rough time under the lights.

This was a rough one. Like I mentioned above, the 21-18 score isn’t necessarily indicative of the performance Carolina gave in this contest.

The Panthers were the more talented team going into this game, Cleveland just out-coached and outperformed the Cardiac Cats. Individual efforts like dropping multiple interceptions, or fumbling a 2-point conversion attempt certainly don’t help either.

Carolina will have to take stock of some rough injury luck, and take a long look in the mirror and at the tape before Week 4. For the first time in eleven (!) years, the Panthers will be hosting Sunday Night Football.

If the Panthers want to avoid embarrassment under the lights, these issues that have been persistent and obvious need to be addressed. Otherwise, Sunday will be the first of many national performances that don’t go their way.

Coming into the season, this was likely the least interesting game in the eyes of a lot of Panthers fans. Cleveland has long been the laughing stock of the NFL, and despite hiring a new coach, there didn’t seem to be a lot of faith in the Browns.

This sentiment was exacerbated by new Head Coach Todd Monken naming local pariah Deshaun Watson as starter instead of the fan-favorite Shedeur Sanders, and then promptly getting blown out in Week 1 in Jacksonville.

Then, in the middle of a monsoon in Tampa, things changed. Watson led his team from a 16-6 deficit to a 23-19 victory, throwing two touchdowns in the second half to finish the comeback.

Cleveland’s defense also played well in this game, but the uncharacteristic clean and confident play from Watson is what sealed the win - and likely his spot as the starter for the Brown’s home-opener this weekend.

While myself and every other Carolina fan are grateful for Cleveland beating the Buccaneers last week, the Panthers cannot let them get two in a row.

Not only would that put Carolina at 1-2 in a suddenly-contested NFC South, but the road schedule for the Panthers is much less favorable later in the season (GB, PIT, MIN, PHI, TB, NO) compared to the games before the Week 5 bye.

For a team that has struggled on the road during the Bryce Young era, the Panthers need to take as many as they can get.

Carolina is currently by 2.5 points on the road. Let’s take a look at some of the keys the Panthers need to hit in order to start a road win streak, and a win streak as the pre-game favorites.

Keys To Victory

1) Make Watson uncomfortable

As I mentioned above, Watson’s clean game in Tampa is not necessarily the norm. Throughout his time in Cleveland, Watson’s much-maligned statline reads 22 touchdowns to 13 interceptions in 21 games across four seasons.

Creating pressure on Watson will be important in this matchup. Coming into the season, Cleveland has fielded an entire new cast of starting offensive linemen who have never played together before.

Rookies Austin Barber and Spencer Fano have looked promising, but are still rookies that can be schemed against with matchups against the Panthers defensive front.

This will need to be a big game from guys like Jaelan Phillips and Pat Jones, as limiting the run and containing in the pass game can makes things fall apart quickly for Watson.

The health of the defensive front seven will be something to watch as the week progresses.

2) Contain Cleveland’s young weapons

One way to make life difficult for Watson on Sunday is to contain the explosive ability of the Browns young skill players. Between Harold Fannin Jr, Denzel Boston, and KC Concepcion, the Browns have a bevy of explosive pass-catchers that can do damage.

Boston in particular has had a strong start to his rookie season. The young receiver is averaging 77 yards per game and has two touchdowns, one of which helped spark the comeback victory in Tampa last week.

Concepcion and Fannin are also unique matchup problems. Concepcion is a pure speedster that, if given the opportunity, could take advantage of the soft coverage the Panthers like to deploy.

Fannin is a yards after catch (YAC) machine, and can cause trouble matching up against linebackers and safeties that struggle with coverage. If Carolina is forced to play reserves in this game due to some early injuries, Fannin will be a point of emphasis on defense.

3) Keep trying the run

Yes, Bryce Young has been on an absolute heater to start the season as a passer. But, the Panthers still need to find a more balanced approach on offense, especially early in the season before the competition gets a bit tougher.

Finding footing in the run game may be more difficult than anticipated with the placement of Jonathon Brooks on IR, but Carolina still needs to push through.

Against Tampa Bay, Cleveland allowed 137 yards rushing, a number that would easily be the Panthers season-high.

Getting Chuba Hubbard, AJ Dillon, and practice squad call-up Tre Tyus each a good amount of touches against a weaker run defense should be enough to get a strong run performance started for this season.

If the run doesn’t work, at least Brad Idzik has shown he can lean on Bryce Young.

4) Erase penalties

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the Panthers blowout win in Atlanta was the performance of the offensive line. Against a beleaguered Falcons defensive front, Bryce Young was pressured on 51% of his dropbacks, and the run blocking was much better.

Despite all of this, the part that is most concerning in my opinion were the penalties. Throughout the entire first half, penalties from the offensive line disrupted the progress made by Young and the skill players.

Rob Hunt alone had three penalties on the first two drives, almost knocking Carolina out of scoring range.

Through two weeks, Carolina ranks top five in both penalties accepted and penalty yardage - numbers would do not want to see.

If reckless and undisciplined play continues, it may end up losing games for the Panthers down the stretch.

There’s a lot at stake for Carolina this week.

Sure, it’s only Week 3, but stealing a second consecutive road win, and having two wins this early in the season would be massive in terms of playoff positioning.

In the Bryce Young era, the Panthers have gotten their second win in each of the following weeks:

• 2023 - Week 15, vs ATL 9-7

• 2024 - Week 9 vs NO, 23-22

• 2025 - Week 5 vs MIA, 27-24

For a team with playoff aspirations, the Panthers need to stack road wins and early wins.

Both of those can be achieved with a strong performance in Cleveland.

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The 2027 NFL Draft Class is one for the ages. There are talented players at every position that continue to make plays every week that deserved to be talked about.

Unfortunately for those wide receivers, edge rushers, etc., those darn quarterbacks keep stealing the spotlight.

After one quarter of the season under the belt of most teams, there have been a number of QBs that have displayed why they need to be given recognition.

In our Week 1 Draft Report, I mentioned some of the quarterbacks whose names were already pretty well-known among most of draft fans. Today, I’d like to talk about even more QBs that have shown out during the first few weeks of the college football season.

At the risk of leaving even more QBs off the list, let’s take a look at some of the signal-callers making a name for themselves.

Spotlight

During Week 1’s report, I mentioned how Lincoln Kienholz was a QB that had an up-and-down opener, and needed to show some more. Well, he clearly reads this column, and decided to prove what he can do.

In an incredible match between SMU and Louisville, the Cardinals prevailed for a ranked win and a boost in the ACC standings, behind the legs of RB Keyjuan Brown and behind Kienholz’ stellar play.

Kienholz’ yardage total on the season was actually at its lowest in this game (177 passing), but three total touchdowns and limiting mistakes allowed Louisville to consistently move the ball down the field and score.

An interesting trait about Kienholz that may go under the radar is his running ability.

In the prior three seasons, Louisville’s starting QBs have posted the following rushing stats:

• Jack Plummer - 98 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD

• Tyler Shough - 42 carries, 19 yards, 1 TD

• Miller Moss - 54 carries, -65 yards, 9 TDs

Through only three games, Kienholz already has 32 carries for 153 yards and four touchdowns.

It should be noted that sacks are registered as rushing yards in college football, so Kienholz already having more rushing yards than his predecessors is even more impressive.

Again, it’s early. But Kienholz firmly has my attention. It’s going to be hard to dethrone someone with the pedigree of Arch Manning or the pure talent of Drew Mestemaker (if he declares) for the QB1 spot, but Kienholz is certainly on his way to inserting himself into that conversation.

Showstoppers

One of the byproducts of the NIL era and players being granted more and more years of eligibility is the burying of players on depth charts, forcing them to transfer. Lincoln Kienholz is a perfect example of this.

Maybe the poster child of this new landscape is Trinidad Chambliss (who had himself another huge game against LSU), who after taking the starting role last season, has fought for and been granted another year at Ole Miss.

The player he replaced at Ole Miss, Austin Simmons, had to transfer to Missouri to get his chance, and he has not disappointed.

Through three contests, Simmons has accumulated 652 yards and 8 touchdowns, but it isn’t the counting stats that have Simmons on my radar.

Simmons’ traits are incredible, the ball absolutely flies off his hand.

Yes, the competition the Tigers have faced has not been elite, but Simmons has shown the ability to operate his offense and use his arm to access every area of the field. I’d like to see Simmons use his mobility more as a weapon, but he hasn’t really had to so far.

Simmons is still only 20 years old in his third season playing collegiate ball, so his ceiling is still much higher than what he’s already shown. While he could declare for 2027, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him stay and play for the 2028 NFL Draft Class.

Another member of the 2028 Class will be Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor.

Unfortunately, Taylor is still a sophomore, but like with Cal’s JKS, Taylor will be discussed for much of this upcoming draft cycle as someone teams can’t wait for.

Through three games, Taylor has amassed 832 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, and a rushing score. This past week in Columbia, SC, Taylor absolutely dominated the Gamecocks defense, dissecting the secondary with his arm.

I’d go as far as to say no quarterback has been as impressive as Taylor through the first quarter of the college football season. This week, we’ll get a fun matchup between Taylor and Simmons as the Tigers travel to Starkville for Taylor’s SEC home opener.

After facing (19) Mizzou, Taylor and Bulldogs face quite the gauntlet:

• (8) Alabama

• (10) LSU

• Oklahoma

• (1) Texas

• Vanderbilt

• Auburn

• A relief game against Tennessee Tech

• (4) Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl

If Taylor can keep up his pace through a plethora of ranked conference opponents, we might see the first underclassman Heisman winner since Bryce Young and Caleb Williams in 2021-2022.

And the scary part is - Taylor still has another year to go before being drafted.

Steady Hands

Aside from the Arch Manning’s and Dante Moore’s, CJ Carr was a name to watch entering the season as a potential top QB. So far, Carr has been pretty efficient, earning 726 passing yards and 6 touchdowns on 72.6% completion. Carr has also rushed for one score.

Perhaps it’s because Notre Dame hasn’t faced an impressive opponent yet, but Carr’s name has somewhat flown under the radar. However, Carr has quietly been one of the best deep passers in the nation.

On passes 10+ yards down the field, Carr is 15/22, for 424 yards and 3 scores so far this season. Carr has also yet to throw an interception.

Once Carr’s Fighting Irish face more prominent opponents ((9) BYU, (6) Miami, and (22) SMU are all in the second half of the season), he will become more of a household name.

Efficiency and willing to throw deep are traits that NFL teams covet; if Carr keeps it up we’ll hear his name on Night 1 next April.

Show Us Some More

Kamario Taylor’s opponent from last week, LaNorris Sellers, has had an up-and-down draft process so far.

Early in his career, Sellers looked to be a Cam Newton-lite prospect, someone with a massive frame, the strength to be hard to bring down in the pocket, and a massive arm that could hit every area of the field with ease.

Following a 2024 season where Sellers accounted for over 3000 total yards and 25 combined touchdowns, it seemed that he would continue to improve and fill the mold of an ascending prospect.

Unfortunately, partially due to injury and a poor offensive line, Sellers regressed a bit in 2025, totaling fewer touchdowns and more turnovers. Instead of declaring for the draft or transferring, Sellers decided to stay at South Carolina for one more season.

2026 will be huge for Sellers. If he can recapture the form he had in 2024, he can play himself into first-round talks with his talents. It seems like this season is off to a bit of a slow start, but a matchup with (8) Alabama could be the stage Sellers needs to show off his abilities.

The old school, stand-in-the-pocket statue quarterbacks with a strong arm are a dying breed. In today’s NFL, you have to have some semblance of mobility. Even the more pocket-passer type players like CJ Stroud, for example, can make you pay with their legs if you don’t contain.

Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey might be the last one. The Golden Gophers signal-caller had a strong sophomore season, but has only followed it up with 4 touchdowns through 3 weeks.

Lindsey will have the opportunity later in the season with (18) Michigan, (17) Iowa, (5) Indiana, and (13) Penn State to show off his arm. If he is unable to recapture some of the magic of last season, it will be an uphill battle during the draft process.

Standby

We’ve talked about JKS and Kamario Taylor as potential headlines of the 2028 NFL Draft Class, but Alabama’s Keelon Russell may have also just played himself into that tier.

After a few rocky offensive performances (despite the scores), Russell was absolutely electric against Florida State. In what became a 50-36 shootout, Russell dominated the Seminoles’ defense, adding 320 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 56 rushing yards, and a rushing score.

Russell is Kalen DeBoer’s first recruited quarterback to start for the Crimson Tide. With a pedigree of multiple first round quarterbacks (Michael Penix Jr (8) and Ty Simpson (13)), Russell could be on his way to becoming the next Bama QB to hear his name called on Night 1.

Player(s) of the Week

In keeping with the theme of offensive players, I wanted to highlight a player that drove his team to an upset win over then-ranked Top 10 Texas A&M.

Kentucky RB CJ Baxter, after a letdown against Alabama, bounced back for 115 total yards and two touchdowns on the way to upsetting the Aggies.

Baxter originally started his career at Texas, but injuries to his knee in 2024 slowed down what was once a promising start, following the lineage of players like Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Jonathon Brooks.

Now, at Kentucky, Baxter has a chance to reignite his 5 star status and drive his name up draft boards.

With Florida’s Jadan Baugh and Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy, the running back class is in good hands. If Baxter can continue to show out, he can push his name toward the top half of the draft as well.

I know that I said QBs won’t be the only focus of this newsletter, and I stand by that. I promise that we’ll be highlighting more of the talented skill players, linemen, and defenders in this draft class as the season progresses.

With conference play started for everyone, here are some of the key Week 4 matchups to keep an eye on this week:

• (14) Tennessee vs. (1) Texas

• (18) Michigan vs. (17) Iowa

• (8) Alabama vs. South Carolina

• (12) USC vs. (20) Oregon

• (10) LSU vs. (23) Texas A&M

• (24) Mississippi State vs. (19) Missouri

• (21) Florida vs. (4) Ole Miss

Was there ever any doubt?

Following Sunday’s win, Bryce Young is now 5-1 as a starter against the Atlanta Falcons, with the lone loss coming in Young’s first career game back in 2023.

Not only have the Panthers won pretty consistently against Atlanta in the Young era, but the wins have always been electric.

2024’s season finale gave us a five touchdown, overtime thriller from Young. In 2025, Carolina gave the Falcons a 30-0 skunk at home, and Young set the franchise passing record later in Atlanta.

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Now, in Week 2 of 2026, the Panthers have done it again.

From the first play, where the Panthers forced and recovered a fumble, to the end of the game (another fumble), Carolina never really let the Falcons into the game.

Sure, Atlanta was down to QBs three and four in Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand, but Carolina was still largely in control.

However, despite the 34-3 final and most of the key starters getting to sit during the 4th quarter, there are still areas of concern. If Carolina wants to become a bona fide playoff team, they’ll have to clean up some of these mistakes.

The Great

Bryce Young - his 287 passing yards and three touchdowns certainly weren’t as Herculean of a performance as last week’s, but are still impressive numbers to hit. Through two weeks, Young is now second in the NFL in passing yards, behind only fellow NFC South QB Tyler Shough (Shough also played in overtime Week 1).

Eight different receivers were the beneficiaries of Young’s day, including Darren Waller, who caught two touchdown passes, and Xavier Legette, who made an excellent catch on a 50-yard bomb from Young.

Legette’s catch wasn’t the only downfield play on the day, Young routinely tested Atlanta deep, and was successful.

Since Brad Idzik took over the play-calling duties, Young has had many more opportunities to be aggressive down the field, and has taken advantage. This trend will hopefully continue next week in Cleveland.

Devin Lloyd - this is what Carolina linebacker play should look like.

After six years of mediocre to poor linebacker play, the Panthers finally have their star at the position again. Against Atlanta, Devin Lloyd put up the following:

• 9 tackles (including no missed tackles)

• 3 passes defended

• 2 tackles for loss

• 2 interceptions

• 1 interception returned for a touchdown

• 1 sack

This was a generational performance by Lloyd against the Falcons. Yes, Atlanta’s QB woes certainly helped, but Lloyd deserves the majority of the credit here.

It’s hard to ask for this type of performance on a weekly basis, but if Lloyd continues his excellent play, another All-Pro season is waiting for him.

The Good

Individual Defensive Performances - Lloyd wasn’t the only player that helped contribute to the near-shutout. Fellow starting LB Bobby Okereke had his own interception and was sound as a tackler.

Jaycee Horn locked down his assignments throughout the game, allowing only one reception on four targets and adding two passes defended.

Rookie safety Zakee Wheatley forced a fumble on his first ever NFL play! Nick Scott and Aaron Hall also recovered fumbles, Hall’s to end the game for the Falcons.

These are the types of individual performances that were lacking in the game against Chicago, where the Bears were able to do whatever they wanted.

If the talent on the roster can step up like this as the season progresses, the Panthers will be in good shape.

The Bad

Run Game - just like against Chicago, the run game was unable to get going. In Atlanta, Carolina only rushed for 68 yards, most of them coming from Chuba Hubbard on 4.4 yards per carry.

So far, Bryce Young has been able to carve defenses through the air. However, this may not be the case every week through the rest of the season. A stable run game to compliment the pass attack needs to be found over the next couple weeks before the bye.

Jonathon Brooks leaving the game with a groin injury doesn’t help; the buck will fall mainly on Chuba Hubbard and AJ Dillon is Brooks misses time.

Broader Defensive Issues - it’s hard to nitpick a game in which the defense doesn’t allow a touchdown, but I’m going to do it anyway.

Too many times were the Falcons allowed to convert 2nd and 3rd down opportunities because the defense played so far off of the line of scrimmage. All due respect to Cooper Rush, but this shouldn’t be happening against a backup quarterback.

If a better signal-caller had suited up for Atlanta, I’m not sure that the Falcons would’ve only ended with 3 points.

A perfect example of this is the play in which Will Lee III broke up a deep shot before the first half ended. Lee is very far out of position, but is only able to recover due to a poor ball hanging in the air for Jahan Dotson.

If Carolina continues to allow teams to convert on 3rd downs and move the chains, better offenses and quarterbacks will take advantage of the defense. Just look at Week 1.

The Ugly

Offensive Line - this was probably the most disappointing part of an otherwise strong performance from Carolina. Bryce Young faced pressure on 51% of his dropbacks, a frightening number given Atlanta’s injuries to their pass rushers.

Not only was the line consistently giving up reps to Atlanta’s backups, but the penalties were killer in the first half. Rob Hunt had three (3!) penalties on the first two drives alone that pushed Carolina backward.

For a time in the first half, it seemed like the Falcons could get back into the game, as the offensive line’s play, particularly close to the red zone, would force Carolina to take field goal attempts instead of touchdowns.

It wasn’t until Young’s connection with Legette that the offense started humming again.

Panthers fans knew that the retooled offensive line would likely perform below what it would if both Ekwonu and Moton entered the year healthy. But the performance of the line in the last two contests has been an issue.

Chicago and Atlanta’s defensive fronts are not imposing compared to the rest of the league - this is a problem that needs to get solved quickly.

Cleveland will likely offer more of a challenge along the interior, but Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson will be Monroe Freeling’s first true test as an NFL tackle.

We can nitpick until the end of time, but Carolina still got a huge road division win over their rival Atlanta Falcons. The next division matchup isn’t until Week 7 against Tampa, so getting an early win is significant for the division standings.

This week, Carolina will get a chance to continue the road win streak in Cleveland, against a team that had to wait almost 5 hours to complete their victory against Tampa.

Hopefully, Carolina can continue the strong play of their stars on the road before coming home to host Sunday Night Football for the first time in over a decade.

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The Carolina Panther play football again this weekend. Given how the last game turned out, that can be more of a threat than a comfort to some of the fans who were in attendance.

It’s unlikely that the Falcons, who have yet to name a starting QB for this week’s match, will be able to replicate the success Chicago had against Carolina’s defense. Still, the Panthers should treat this as a must-win game, and an opportunity to right the wrongs of the 59 point drubbing they suffered.

Without dwelling too much on last week’s mistakes, let’s take a look at some of Carolina’s keys to victory this weekend.

Keys to Victory

1) Contain

One of the biggest issues against Chicago was Carolina’s failure to contain the run game, both at the line of scrimmage and in the second level. In total, the Panthers allowed 291 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, a mark that can’t be allowed again.

Much of that rushing total came from the Bears being able to break contain; Caleb Williams especially took advantage of some poor run fits on his scrambles.

If D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who I want to be clear are both good players, were able to each muster 100+ rushing yards, what will Bijan Robinson do to this team if they make the same mistakes?

In a game where the starting quarterback is unknown, Atlanta is even more likely to rely upon their star running back. If Carolina wants to get their first Week 2 win since 2021, containing Bijan Robinson is a must.

2) Balance the attack

As good as Bryce Young seems to be in Atlanta, having your quarterback throw for 350+ yards and amassing 4 touchdowns every week isn’t necessarily sustainable.

Against a defense bereft of many players on the line, Carolina has to get the running game going to compliment what we saw out of the passing game.

Despite some relative success, Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks combined for only 63 rushing yards on 14 carries (4.5ypc). Leaning more on the run, and switching up the usage rate of the backs (Hubbard’s 10 carries to Brooks’ 4) can provide a good answer if teams are able to take away the pass later in the season.

Plus, it’ll be good to ramp up Jonathon Brooks early, as the team will likely need some of the explosive plays he provides as the season progresses.

3) Figure out the return situation

Football is a game of three phases, and Carolina’s return game has been a point that has been discussed dating back to last season.

Jimmy Horn’s play in the preseason seemed to indicate that he would be the answer, but when the bullets were flying in Week One, Horn blundered when given the opportunity.

After one muffed punt, a near-fumble on the other, and a moment where Horn seemed to not know the play call, the Panthers have waived the former 6th round pick.

Currently, John Metchie III is slated as the team’s primary returner in both the punt and kickoff groups. According the team’s most recent depth chart, it seems that Bryce Young’s former Alabama teammate will be making his season debut this week.

This is a big opportunity for both Metchie and the Panthers. If Metchie can provide stability in the return game, the Panthers will have a much more sound performance in the special teams phases of the game.

4) Clean/Limit mistakes

While Horn’s fumble was crucial in the Bears piling on points, it was far from the only significant error. Including the failed 4th down attempt that was close to field goal range, Carolina registered four turnovers to Chicago’s two.

Turnover margin is one of the most explanatory variables when looking at wins and losses. Giving the opponent an extra drive while simultaneously losing a drive of your own significantly shrinks your chance at scoring points.

Against Chicago, each of the turnovers, aside from Young’s interception before the half, led to points for the Bears. Similar play throughout the rest of the season will be unsustainable.

The good news for Carolina is that Atlanta’s defense has already been dealt heavy blows up front. However, the secondary, comprised of players such as Jessie Bates III, Xavier Watts, and AJ Terrell, is extremely opportunistic when searching to create turnovers.

Carolina will have to hammer the fundamentals this week in practice, cleaning up the fumbles along the way if the Panthers are going to pull off the road win.

Since the betting lines for Week 2 opened, Carolina has moved from a 1.5 point underdog to a 2.5 point favorite. It seems like the market likes Carolina’s chances at stealing a road division game.

Carolina’s offense, particularly Bryce Young, has had strong performances in Atlanta over the last two seasons. If the team can clean up the self-inflicted errors forced against Chicago, the Panthers could be looking at their first win before Week 3 since Sam Darnold was at quarterback.

Many people, not just the AP voters, considered both OSU and Oregon to be the best, most-talented teams this season. Ohio State wields the best receiver in the sport, and Oregon brought back a ton of draft-eligible players for their senior seasons.

Unfortunately, both teams found themselves on the losing end of their games last weekend, with the Buckeyes falling in their rematch with Texas, and Oregon slipping up in Stillwater against Oklahoma State.

That’s college football for you. Nobody is safe, no matter what the rankings would suggest. Aside from these two teams, Illinois fell to Duke, Minnesota lost a QB battle with Mississippi State, and Purdue couldn’t outlast Wake Forest.

Not a great week for the conference of the reigning champs.

However, Ohio State and Oregon’s losses may have had the most significant impact on the upcoming draft cycle. Yes, it’s still early, but early losses like these can highlight flaws in the games of the losers and bring about new fans of the teams that upset them.

Today, let’s take a look at the two most significant games of the week and how the performances of the players in those games might shift the top of the draft order in April.

Longhorns Rally in the 4th Quarter

It may have been less of a rally and more of an Ohio State collapse, but Texas ultimately got the win, rectifying the horrible game from last season.

After going up 23-3 through the first three quarters, Ohio State allowed Texas to score 21 unanswered points in the 4th, giving Texas a narrow one point victory. This dry spell of scoring also included a missed field goal, setting Texas up for a game-winning drive.

As far as the OSU prospects go, I actually don’t believe that the heavy-hitters had a bad game. Jeremiah Smith totaled a pedestrian (to his standards) 164 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. His only blemish is not recording a catch in the 4th quarter.

Julian Sayin was also rather decisive as a passer, and only took two sacks against a strong Texas front. Austin Siereveld, perhaps the Buckeye’s best offensive lineman, did his part as well.

So, if the stars performed, how did the Buckeyes squander their lead? Well, it started with a very conservative game plan in the second half, and ended with the Texas players showing out.

Arch Manning, who I would say had an even-keeled performance, made the right plays down the stretch. Early in the game, Manning had two very good throws and not much else. But in the 4th quarter, he came alive with a touchdown and game-winning drive.

Last week, I mentioned Manning as more of a steady performer than the star his name would suggest, and against what is likely to be his toughest opponent of the regular season, I think that point continues.

While his interception was anything but his own fault, there weren’t many superstar plays throughout the course of this game; plays that would demand Manning be at the top of QB1 talks.

On the other side of the ball, star edge rusher Colin Simmons had himself a strong performance. Two tackles for loss and a sack against OSU’s offensive line and a quick thrower like Sayin are impressive, and he his numbers will only look better against worse units.

The last names that deserve being mentioned here are the Longhorn receivers, Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo. Coleman and Wingo, the numbers 2 and 8 wide receiver recruits in the 2024 class according to 247 Sports industry composite, registered pretty quiet days.

In the first half, both Wingo and Coleman dropped excellent passes from Manning, with Coleman’s turning into one of the most unfortunate interceptions I’ve ever seen.

Wingo’s drop was rough as well, as it would have given Texas their only non-4th quarter touchdown.

Both of these players are very talented, and have the supporting cast to help them thrive. In a draft class full of receivers like Smith, Rutgers’ KJ Duff, Indiana’s star duo of Becker and Marsh, and many more, Coleman and Wingo will have to step their games up in order to avoid sliding out of the top group.

Mestemaker on the Map

During last week’s article on quarterbacks, I mentioned Drew Mestemaker in the “Show Us Some More” tier after a rough Week 1 against Tulsa. I ended that note with the following phrase:

“While it’s only been one game, Mestemaker will have to adjust to more difficult competition - Week 2 brings Dante Moore’s Ducks into town. Hopefully, Mestemaker will be able to bounce back and put himself back into top QB contention.”

It’s safe to say he adjusted. Coming into the game as 23.5 underdogs, Mestemaker left it all out on the field, scoring 3 total touchdowns and rallying the Cowboys to the upset victory.

It certainly wasn’t a perfect passing performance (26/43, 2 INTs), but Mestemaker made the necessary plays when he had to against a veteran-laden Oregon defense. His total of 317 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 109 rushing yards, and 1 rushing touchdown, was punctuated in the 4th quarter with this play.

This rumbling touchdown run would give the Cowboys a 36-31 lead, and they would never look back.

Unlike with Manning’s performance, Mestemaker was going crazy from the start. This run opened the game for Oklahoma State.

While Mestemaker certainly bounced back and put his name back into the QB1 conversation, I think the other team in this game is worth more of a discussion.

Coming into the season, Oregon was talked about as a team on the cusp of winning their first national championship. Not only did they return QB Dante Moore, someone who would’ve likely been a Top 5 pick in last year’s draft, but the defense brought back a lot of talent as well.

Here is the Ducks’ starting defensive front, courtesy of Ourlads.

Not a freshman, sophomore, or junior in sight. All of their main guys on the defensive line are at least seniors, and they were consistently getting moved off of the ball in the run game.

Players like A’Mauri Washington and Matayo Uiagalelei were getting Top 50 projections in the 2026 Draft. Now, back in school, they’re struggling against what was expected to be an average Big 12 team this season.

Mestemaker and Head Coach Eric Morris might change those fortunes now, but the point remains.

On the other side of the ball, Dante Moore had a pretty lackluster outing, throwing 14/29 for 191 yards and only 2 touchdowns. Moore was also sacked four times, compared to Mestemaker’s zero against a senior-filled front.

For someone that has high pick aspirations, Moore will have to improve throughout the rest of the season. Relying upon the overtime win against a passionless Penn State team last season won’t cut it as a signature moment if this level of play continues.

Fortunately, Oregon will get to face off against USC (12), Ohio State (6), and Michigan (19) still this season, each of which could reverse Moore and his teammates’ draft stocks for the better.

Player of the Week

One player that isn’t getting the attention he deserves is Rutgers WR KJ Duff. Duff has been on an absolute tear to start the season, but Rutgers 0-2 record, including a Week 1 loss to UMASS (!) has him a bit under the radar.

Duff’s breakout began last year, where he amassed 1084 receiving yards along with 7 receiving touchdowns. Pretty strong numbers for the 6’6 219lbs receiver, especially without high-end QB play.

To start his junior season, Duff has posted games of 9-196-3 vs. UMASS and 8-137-2 this past week at Boston College.

If these numbers seem insane, that’s because they are. Duff currently leads the B1G conference in receptions (17) and yards (333), while leading all of FBS with 5 touchdowns.

The numbers match the eye test. Duff’s unreal frame and fluid movement ability are a bit reminiscent of Carolina’s own Tetairoa McMillan during his time at Arizona. Both players were special at the catch point and in evading contact after the catch.

Rutgers’ schedule only gets tougher from here, as they are set to host USC (12) this weekend, and have dates with Indiana (4), Michigan (19), and Penn State (14) over the course of the season.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Duff to take his name from a fun player on a bad team to someone in the mix for that WR2 spot next April.

This column won’t only be Big Ten-focused throughout the rest of the season - we have some excellent games going on across the entire league. For Week 3, keep your eyes on the following matchups:

• (Friday) (22) Houston vs. (13) Texas Tech

• Florida State at (10) Alabama

• (16) SMU at (23) Louisville

• (7) LSU at (8) Ole Miss

What an electric first game from the Carolina Panthers!

Carolina started the game by turning over the Bears on their first drive, leading to an easy score!

Bryce Young was phenomenal on the day, totaling 371 yards, four touchdowns (including one rushing), and, yes, had his government-mandated interception. But unlike in years past, the turnover didn’t lead to points!

Brad Idzik’s first game as a play-caller went smoothly as well. Gone was the conservative Canales’ playbook in favor of taking more opportunities downfield, which led to six scoring drives!

In total, Carolina scored 37 points, which is more than the previous three season-opening games (30) combined!

All in all, Sunday was a fun and pretty complete win for your Carolina Panthers!

Except, the Panthers didn’t win, did they?

None of what I said above is false; Carolina really did score 37 points, a mark the team hasn’t hit since the thrilling win in Atlanta to conclude the 2024 season.

Bryce Young had one of, if not his most complete game as a passer on Sunday, consistently finding and exploiting mismatches down the field.

Jalen Coker continued his emergence during last year’s playoff game, hauling in 8 of 9 targets for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, both career highs.

For the most part, Brad Idzik called an excellent game, mixing in the run when necessary but allowing Bryce to operate and carve up an anemic Chicago defense.

So if the Panthers scored 37 points, the QB operated at a high level (Young ended Sunday Top 5 in Total EPA), and the new play-caller didn’t falter, how the heck did Carolina lose?

Late in the 3rd quarter (4:31), Carolina was tied with Chicago 31-31, and had backed the Bears up in the red zone, looking to force what would’ve been Chicago’s second field goal attempt of the game.

The play, courtesy of NFL Pro, is shown below.

After an uncharacteristic roughing the passer penalty from Carolina’s best player, Derrick Brown, the Bears would go on to score 28 more points, bringing their total to 59(!), the most ever allowed by a Panther defense.

No, the 59 in this article’s title is not an homage to the HOFer Luke Kuechly, who made his broadcasting debut on Thursday calling LA/SF for Netflix. 59 is simply the number of points this defense allowed.

There is no way to sugarcoat it - Sunday’s performance was a complete disgrace by the defense.

Sure, there were failures in every facet of the game. Tetairoa McMillan fumbled soon after this play, stopping any momentum the Panthers offense had left.

Jimmy Horn Jr. fumbled his first punt return, setting Chicago up with an extremely favorable field en route to one of their nine scoring drives.

But the majority of the onus falls on a defense that spent $165 million in free agency back in March.

Before I get too deep into the defensive disaster, I’d like to review the keys pointed out in last week’s preview of this game.

“Keep Pounding the rock” - Carolina had 14 rush attempts from Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks before the starters were ultimately pulled. Those two, along with Bryce Young’s two scrambles, accounted for 73 rushing yards.

Verdict: Fail

“Test the new defensive backs” - Contrary to the run game, Bryce Young absolutely tested the Chicago secondary. On his 37 pass attempts, Young pushed the ball downfield quite a bit, including connecting with Coker on a 51-yard touchdown.

Verdict: Pass

“Put pressure on Caleb Williams” - Despite Williams’ own 269 yards passing, the defensive front was able to pressure him intermittently. The issue, however, was the inability to contain Williams on those pressures, who amounted to 65 rushing yards.

Verdict: Fail (only two sacks)

“Have a fast start” - Carolina was able to score on their first drive. After a lull in the first quarter, the Panthers ultimately were able to score 24 points in the first half, a number that dwarfed what the team was able to do last season.

Verdict: Pass

It seems Carolina was able to get the offense going early and took advantage of the Chicago defense. The main blemish offensively was the run game lacking any sort of potency.

The frequency with which runs were called was also inconsistent, as Carolina ended up wasting two drives by starting with consecutive failed runs, and ending with unsuccessful third downs, including Xavier Legette dropping his only target of the day.

Turnovers were the other key issue on offense. If you include the failed 4th down attempt (near field goal range), the offense had three turnovers. Combined with Horn’s dropped punt, the Panthers gave the ball away four times in a game where the opponent scored 59.

Despite this, the offense still scored 37 points. In most NFL games, that is more than good enough to get the win. Sunday’s theme, which isn’t exactly new, was the defense being unable to complement the offense.

Carolina’s defense allowed 291 yards rushing and 6(!) rushing touchdowns in this game. Chicago was 10/14 (71.43%) on 3rd downs, and ended the game with scores on 9/13 (69.23%) of their drives.

Numbers like these should stand out as major disappointments, and hopefully few and far between. Unfortunately, that hasn’t necessarily been the case in recent Panthers’ history.

This side of the ball has been atrocious during Ejiro Evero’s tenure. Of course, these numbers are a bit inflated by the 2024 unit, which gave up the second most yards in a season and the most points ever in a season.

But 2024 was two years ago; the team should be better by now, right?

Believe it or not, no team was able to put up the amount of rushing yards or scores against Carolina in 2024 that the Bears did on Sunday, and that was a season without Derrick Brown!

One of the biggest excuses throughout the Evero era is that the defensive staff did not have the players in place to properly execute the scheme.

Evero comes from the Vic Fangio tree, which emphasizes pressure with a four-man rush, and clouding the back end of the defense to confuse quarterbacks post-snap.

And in 2024, this reasoning would probably be valid. Derrick Brown was lost for the season after week one, and the team didn’t have another standout on defense besides Jaycee Horn.

Since then, Carolina has paid Tre’von Moehrig, Tershawn Wharton, Devin Lloyd, and Jaelan Phillips all significant contracts in free agency. Three draft picks on Day 2 (Scourton, Umanmielen, Hunter) have also been added to this group.

The talent is undeniably better than it was two years ago, so why are the same mistakes still happening? Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams deserve a portion of the credit, but they weren’t wholly responsible for the almost three hundred rushing yards allowed.

There’s a quote that says insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Merriam-Webster might disagree with this definition, but the fact that Carolina has been faced with the same issues for going on four seasons now, without significant change, is baffling.

To the chagrin of some fans, no public blame or admonishment has been given out by the team specifically to Evero or his staff following the loss. To be frank, I understand and agree with this approach from Canales in his pressers; there’s nothing to be gained from bashing members of the team publicly.

But beyond that, there have been no real outward pressures put on Evero, despite record-breaking bad seasons and an overall lack of improvement or development on the defensive side of the ball.

In fact, the Panthers actually extended Evero’s contract in a somewhat clandestine manner at the end of last season.

I’m not sure I’m ready to say Evero is the sole reason for the defensive woes and needs to be replaced following a week one bludgeoning, but all the pieces are in place for him to succeed.

After four offseasons of installing his scheme, staff, and talent, there is no excuse for the type of performance the defense had on Sunday.

59, who was calling the game with Anish Shroff and Jake Delhomme for Panthers radio, would be ashamed.

It’s hard to know what to make of the Carolina Panthers’ prospects in 2026. You can make a pretty strong case that they’re a team on the rise: They won their division and went toe-to-toe with a legitimate Super Bowl contender before losing in the playoffs last season; Bryce Young has improved every year as a quarterback and all reports from this offseason have agreed that he’s looked better than ever; the defense took a huge step from 2024 to 2025 and has added a significant amount of top-end talent ahead of this year; with the obvious caveats, early returns on the 2025 and 2026 drafts and free agency classes look better than Panthers fans have seen in some time. If nothing else, there’s more evidence of a competent operation at 800 South Mint Street than there has been since before the turn of the decade, and that alone feels like reason to believe, after a strong progression from 2024 to 2025, that this team is capable of taking another step forward in Year 3 of Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ tenure in Charlotte.

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But it’s just as easy to argue that they’re due for serious regression: They were division winners with a losing record; Young has played three seasons and not registered as an above-average quarterback in any of them; several players expected to be genuine contributors are out for extended time if not the whole season; seven of their eight wins in 2025 were by one score, meaning they were the only team in the NFL with more than 3 total wins and fewer than 2 wins by more than one touchdown — a formula that does not feel mathematically sustainable. Add to all this that Carolina faces a much tougher schedule this year than last, and it seems like pessimism is just as easy to justify as optimism.

While all of those things are true, it’s hard to know what pieces of evidence are stronger than the others and what math will and won’t break the Panthers’ way. And that means that it seems that there’s a pretty wide range of outcomes for how this upcoming season could go for Carolina — while I haven’t studied all 32 teams, I’d hazard a guess that the Panthers have more variance in probable outcomes than most of them. And thus, I’d like to take a look at what happens if everything breaks right, if nothing does, and what ultimately feels like the most compelling trend in determining this team’s future.

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Free agency, an NFL Draft, training camp, the preseason, and eight months later, we’re finally about to witness Carolina Panthers football. The Panthers were gifted a matchup with the Chicago Bears this weekend, which is interesting for many reasons.

One on hand, seeing the Bears is a blessing. Chicago is a well-coached team that offers a good challenge, and gives fans the chance to have a leg up on social media if the team pulls off a win.

On the other hand, this matchup could be a curse for the same reasons. Like Carolina, Chicago won their division last season, have one of the best coaches in the game to plan against, and were the other team in the famed Bryce Young trade from 2023.

All of this combined gives the Panthers and their fans multiple reasons to try and get a Week One win for the first time since 2021.

Chicago has long been a thorn in the side of the Panthers (4-9 against the Bears all time), but fortunately for Carolina, the Panthers are 3-2 when hosting the Bears in Charlotte.

With an opportunity to beat Chicago for the first time since 2014, let’s take a look at some of the key matchups the Panthers will have to win on Sunday in Bank of America Stadium.

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Keys to Victory

1) Keep Pounding the rock

One of the more negative hallmarks of the Canales era in Carolina has been the lack of a creative and effective run game. Aside from two games where Rico Dowdle played his career-best, the run game has been very poor over the last few seasons.

In contrast, Ben Johnson’s run games in both Detroit and Chicago have been among the league’s best. It is imperative in Week One that the Panthers are able to match Chicago’s effectiveness when running the ball.

Last season, when Chicago faced opponents who ran the ball 25 or more times, they earned a 4-5 record, with the four wins (LV, WAS, PIT, GB) all being decided by one score.

Sure, teams that run the ball more tend to be running the clock out at the end of games, but Chicago’s defensive front also isn’t particularly a stout group.

Currently, the team has Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett, Kentavius Street, and Dayo Odeyingbo slated to start - not the most imposing group. The back seven of the defense, particularly the defensive backs, have also had to shuffle already due to injury.

Leaning on a healthy Chuba Hubbard, the ground-and-pound ability of someone like AJ Dillon, and the potential explosive ability of Jonathon Brooks should provide Carolina a nice way into the game to generate offensive rhythm and wear down the Bears on defense.

2) Test the new defensive backs

Having a healthy run game does wonders for an offense. Not only does it wear down defensive players, but it can also draw players closer to the line of scrimmage, opening up new deep passing lanes.

Last season, Bryce Young graded out as the best deep passer in the entire league according to Pro Football Focus. The problem with this is that Young barely attempted deep passes.

A good portion of the lack of deep passes were schematic blunders, but Young also needs to be more willing to trust his receivers down the field. Fortunately, there was an uptick in both deep pass attempts and completions as the season progressed, so hopefully the trend of throwing it deep can continue early in Week One.

Having a fully healthy Jalen Coker helps a ton in this department. The Young/Coker connection really began to thrive in earnest toward the end of last season, with Coker exploding for 134 yards and a touchdown in Carolina’s playoff game against LA.

This week, not only will Carolina have a pretty favorable defensive front to face, but the Chicago secondary should grant guys like Coker and Tetairoa McMillan an advantage as well.

The Chicago Bears defense that led the NFL in takeaways last year is gone. Currently, Chicago is expected to rely upon free agents such as Cam Lewis, Xavier Woods (a name Panther fans know well), and rookie first round pick Dillon Thieneman.

If Carolina can take advantage of favorable matchups against the Bears, both in the run and the deep pass games, the Cardiac Cats might be able to run up the score.

3) Put pressure on Caleb Williams

Out of every position group Chicago deployed last season, their offensive line was far and away the best unit. The Bears OL paved massive running lanes for guys like D’Andre Swift, and the number of sacks Williams had to avoid plummeted compared to his rookie season.

Unfortunately for Chicago, the group they put out last year is much different from who the team is expected to start in Charlotte.

To start, star center Drew Dalman, whom the Bears paid handsomely in free agency in 2025, chose to retire earlier this past offseason, prompting the Bears to trade for former N.C. State center Garrett Bradbury, who, to put politely, is a significant downgrade.

Second-year left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, a player Chicago was expected to start this season, is still recovering from the ruptured patellar tendon suffered in Chicago’s playoff game against Green Bay. Braxton Jones will be filling in for him in Week One.

Why this matters for Carolina, is that Caleb Williams is one of the best players at avoiding sacks in the NFL. What he does from clean pockets, however, is much better than what he is able to produce from under pressure.

Given the injuries to one of Chicago’s greatest strengths from a year ago, the Carolina defense has to take advantage and put pressure on Williams throughout this game. This is where the addition of players like Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd must shine.

With Pat Jones (back) expected to miss Week One, Princely Umanmielen will have a chance to step up as well. Phillips called Umanmielen the team’s “best pass-rusher” earlier this offseason, and he will have a chance to earn that claim against the Bears this weekend.

4) Have a fast start

Everyone knows that Bryce Young is currently the king of the 4th quarter in the NFL. While this is very impressive, having to win via comebacks instead of putting games away isn’t something incredibly sustainable.

Fast starts have been a topic of discussion all offseason, from Dave Canales and Brad Idzik to Panthers Owner David Tepper answering questions about it during practice.

Last season, the Panthers were 7-3 when scoring on the opening drive. Being able to score early and control the pace of the game will be paramount against a creative coach that wants to push the ball down the field.

Not only are fast starts the focus in games, but across the last four seasons, Carolina hasn’t recorded a win in the first two weeks. A win this week would change things for the better.

The path for the Panthers to pull off the upset is in place. It’s up to the players and coaches to take advantage of it in order to have a positive record after Week One for the first time since 2021.

It’s pretty rare that we see any substantial season-changing outcomes in Week One of College Football. Usually, the ranked powerhouses are able to take care of the less-talented schools that they schedule - unless, of course, you’re a B1G team.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t get to see how standout players perform. Without overreacting, I think it’s safe to say we have a pretty loaded 2027 NFL Draft class, even if some of the players end up going back to school for another season.

In the last two drafts, the biggest missing link has been the number of potential franchise quarterbacks. Even with players like Cam Ward and Fernando Mendoza, we haven’t been treated to true superstar quarterbacks in the draft in quite some time.

I believe that will change this time around. Yes, people say this every year, but the quarterbacks people have hyped up in the past two cycles don’t hold up against the talent in this year’s class.

With Week One setting the stage, let’s take a look at some of the quarterbacks that can potentially save an NFL franchise next April.

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Showstoppers

I’m not sure there was a bigger performance from a quarterback last week than what Darian Mensah did in his first start for the Canes. Primed with his star receiver Malachi Toney (who had his own stellar showing), Mensah threw for 401 yards and 5 touchdowns, at 90% (27/30) completion.

I won’t pretend that Samford is a premier football program. However, numbers like these are hard to ignore.

Mensah is at his third program any as many years as a starting quarterback. After leading Tulane two years ago and helping Duke to an ACC Title last season, Mensah will have more talent around him this season to help show off his traits.

If there are more performances like this one throughout the rest of the season, don’t be surprised to hear Mensah’s name be the first or second called on draft night next April.

Another draft-eligible QB that had a sensational performance last weekend was Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss, who was given an injunction in the spring to play another year of college ball, has already taken advantage of the opportunity to raise his draft stock.

396 total yards and 4 total touchdowns (one rushing) aren’t quite as impressive as Mensah’s stats, but given that Chambliss faced off against a ranked Louisville team at a neutral site, his showing is worthy of inclusion here as well.

Chambliss was already a highly-touted quarterback during last year’s draft cycle. If he can continue to play under control without having the Lane Kiffin tax attached to him this season, Chambliss will be just as highly-regarded coming into the 2027 Draft.

Lastly, I wanted to include a quarterback that isn’t eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, but will likely headline the 2028 class. Cal’s Jaron Keawe-Sagopolutele (JKS) had one of the best true-freshman season from a quarterback in the last few years.

QB play comes natural to him, and despite it looking a bit off as a left-handed player, JKS can sling the rock across the field. There are almost shades of another former Cal quarterback when watching JKS, with his natural ability to access any area of the field and scramble to find throws.

For now, JKS continue to lead the Golden Bears against tough B1G matchups. When it comes to next year - be on the lookout for what JKS is able to do as he raises his own draft stock.

Steady Performers

A handful of other highly-drafted hopefuls also had good performances over the weekend. The headliner of this group is Arch Manning, perhaps the most highly-anticipated draft prospect ever.

Manning wasn’t bad whatsoever - and frankly has had a major upswing since the game against Florida last season - but there are still some quirks to his game, including his throwing motion.

The Longhorns’ signal-caller has all the talent in the world, but still needs a bit of refinement in order to follow in the footsteps of his uncles and becoming a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Manning isn’t alone in this group either, players like Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, and Jayden Maiava all have high ceilings for this season.

For Moore, consistency seems to be the key to unlocking the Oregon QB’s potential. Many times last year, Moore was considered in the QB1 conversation. If he can consistently take advantage of the talent around him, Moore will be a first round pick.

Maiava is in a similar boat. A trendy pick as a dark horse Heisman candidate, Maiava has also had a favorable supporting cast in his time as a starter. Now, in Year 4 as a starter, Maiava needs to string together multiple high-level performances to live up to the lofty expectations.

Lastly, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin was a player last season that finished as a Heisman finalist. Given that he was throwing to the No. 4 overall pick (Carnell Tate) and the best player in the sport (Jeremiah Smith), one would expect Sayin to have a great season.

Now, in his presumed draft season, Sayin needs to show that he isn’t overly-relying on his supporting cast. Sayin is generally effective and accurate, but his arm tends to be little more than average, especially in tight window throws.

Proving that he can be a creator and more reliable downfield thrower will do wonders for Sayin throughout the scrutiny of this year’s draft process.

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Kienholz

Last season, one of the best stories across the league was the emergence of Drew Mestemaker as a rising star. During his first season as a starting QB since middle school, Mestemaker threw for nearly 4400 yards, 34 touchdowns, and helped lead North Texas to an 11-2 record.

Once Head Coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State in the offseason, Mestemaker followed him, and was expected to continue his ascension at a Power Four program.

Mestemaker did not leave a great impression in his first game this season. Against Tulsa, he threw for more interceptions than touchdowns, and generally looked behind on plays, especially when facing pressure.

While it’s only been one game, Mestemaker will have to adjust to more difficult competition - Week 2 brings Dante Moore’s Ducks into town. Hopefully, Mestemaker will be able to bounce back and put himself back into top QB contention.

The final quarterback in today’s article is a bit of a wild card. While Trinidad Chambliss was able to pull off a win against Louisville, the Cardinals’ QB Lincoln Kienholz was able to keep the game close.

It was a bit of a tale of two halves for Kienholz, starting slow but ending the game with 3 total touchdowns and just over 300 yards passing. Not a bad performance, given the opponent was a Top 10 team and it was Kienholz first ever start.

Through the first three years of Kienholz college career, he spent time at Ohio State, backing up guys like Kyle McCord, Will Howard, and Julian Sayin. Now, at Louisville, Kienholz has a chance to show off his talent without being stuck behind a logjam at QB.

If the Cards’ quarterback can play more like his second half version throughout the rest of the season, don’t be surprised to hear his name called on the first night of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Player of the Week

While the majority of the focus was on the quarterbacks kicking off the season, I believe that a running back had the best performance of any draft-eligible player last weekend.

Florida’s Jadan Baugh has not flown under the radar by any means. Over the last two seasons, Baugh has dragged an anemic Gators offense, gaining almost 2000 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

Junior year Baugh is moving differently. In game one with new Head Coach Jon Sumrall, as well as a new offensive staff and quarterback, Baugh rushed for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns, ON 14 CARRIES.

That’s about 11.4 yards per rush, for a Florida offense that hasn’t been able to produce much over the last half-decade. Adding new offensive infrastructure helps, but Baugh still seems to have taken his game to the next level.

It’s still early, but Baugh looks to be the leader for RB1 in the 2027 class. If Baugh can keep a similar pace throughout the season, it won’t be a question of whether or not Baugh will go in Round 1.

The question will become: Can we take another running back in the Top 10?

As the season goes on, we won’t only focus on the quarterbacks like we did today. This class is filled with talent at almost every position, and we’ll continue to look into standout players and draft risers as the season marches on.

For Week 2, here are some matchups to keep an eye on:

• (23) Missouri vs Kansas

• (11) Oklahoma at Michigan

• (6) Oregon at Oklahoma State

• (12) Alabama at Kentucky

• Utah State at (19) Washington

• (1) Ohio State at (4) Texas

The wait is finally over: meaningful football is back. College Football’s Week One kicks off this week, with the NFL following closely behind, debuting on Wednesday, 9.9 this year.

Carolina won’t be a part of the opening game of the regular season like they were in the preseason, but will begin their debut in Charlotte against Chicago on Sunday, 9.13. For a look at the Panthers’ entire schedule, check out this preview from back in the summer.

Following training camp and the preseason, the final step towards gearing up for the games that count was trimming the roster from 90ish players to the NFL-designated 53.

Cut day took place last weekend, where Carolina was forced to whittle down their 3-1 preseason squad to the players fans will see on Sundays (and Thursday, Monday this season).

While there are only 53 active players on a roster at any given time, teams are still allowed 16 players (plus one international player) on their practice squads, as well as any players placed on injury lists such as IR and PUP.

All of these combined give bring Carolina’s total roster to around 80 players. Only 45ish will be active on gamedays, but it’s still a bit more robust than the initial 53-man roster seems to be.

With the roster movement mostly settled, let’s take a look at the 2026 Carolina Panthers, starting with the most important position in football.

Quarterback

Starter: Bryce Young
Backups/Reserves: Kenny Pickett, Haynes King (R)
Practice Squad: n/a
Injured/Reserved Lists: n/a

Biggest Surprise: Haynes King making the active roster instead of practice squad

For the fourth straight season, Bryce Young will lead the Cardiac Cats into battle. The difference this year, is the change in the quarterback(s) behind him.

Andy Dalton has been replaced by Kenny Pickett, who is much younger and more athletic, resembling Bryce’s ability to scramble and create when necessary a bit better than the 38-year old Dalton was able to.

Behind Pickett is undrafted rookie free agent, and star of the Hall of Fame Game, Haynes King. King is a raw, but talented developmental player that Head Coach Dave Canales has long intimated that he wants.

King can become the eventual backup down the line, but this will be the Bryce Young show in 2026, and rightfully so.

Carolina picked up Young’s fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but has yet to commit to a long-term extension with the former No. 1 overall pick. This will be a pivotal year - both for Young and Carolina’s future at the quarterback position.

Running Back

Starters: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks
Backups/Reserves: AJ Dillon
Practice Squad: Tre Tyus, Ahmani Marshall
Injured/Reserved Lists: Trevor Etienne

Biggest Surprise: AJ Dillon making the active roster over Trevor Etienne

A surprisingly-thin position to start the season is running back, especially with the loss of Trevor Etienne to IR. However, there is optimism to believe the stagnant and maligned run game during the Canales era can improve in 2026.

Jonathon Brooks being and having a fully-healthy offseason for the first time in his NFL career is huge, and will hopefully allow the still young RB to hit the ground running in Week One.

Outside of Brooks, Chuba Hubbard still remains at the top of the food chain in the running back room. Hubbard dealt with a hamstring injury during the preseason, but has returned to practice this week.

AJ Dillon making the roster is a big deal for the Panthers. One of the key weaknesses of the Panthers offense has been 3rd down conversions. Somehow, this team seemed to be better at 3rd and mediums than 3rd and shorts.

The answer lies with the lack of a short-yardage back, at least until now. The stout Dillon has been a bruiser for most of his career, and showed in the preseason that he’s still got it, both as a runner and pass-catcher.

If Dillon can bring a change of pace and help convert short yardage situations, the Panthers poor run game might actually turn into a strength for the first time since 2022.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette
Backups/Reserves: Brycen Tremayne, Jimmy Horn Jr, John Metchie III
Practice Squad: Ja’Seem Reed, Casey Washington, David Moore
Injured/Reserved Lists: Chris Brazzell II (R), Malick Meiga (R)

Biggest Surprise: David Moore not making the active roster

This is probably the most talented receiver room that Bryce Young has at his disposal since coming into the league. That’s not exactly a high bar to clear, but there is adequate talent in the room this year, something that hasn’t been the case.

At the top are McMillan and Coker, the dynamic duo that combined for 215 yards on 14 receptions in Carolina’s playoff loss to LA. McMillan won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award last season, and Coker won a decent payday. These two should impress again in 2026.

Xavier Legette and Brycen Tremayne are the next tier, both of whom are familiar with the system - a trait that shouldn’t be taken for granted, given the Panthers change in offensive play-caller.

Jimmy Horn Jr. and John Metchie III impressed enough throughout training camp and the preseason to make the active roster. Horn has become indispensable in the return game, and Metchie brings familiarity with Bryce Young, and a proclivity for finding “hidden yards” according to Canales.

Perhaps the most important movement in the receiver room was having veteran David Moore on the practice squad instead of taking a spot on the active roster.

Moore making way for much more talented receivers is a significant example of growth from Dave Canales, who has kept more familiar players in years past. Horn or Metchie can likely bring more as receivers, which matters for a team with playoff expectations in 2026.

Tight End

Starters: Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans
Backups/Reserves: Darren Waller, JT Sanders, Feleipe Franks
Practice Squad: n/a
Injured/Reserved Lists: Bryce Pierre

Biggest Surprise: Keeping all five tight ends on the active roster

Production from tight ends has been something this team has lacked since the days of Greg Olsen in the 2010s. Carolina has largely been tight end by committee since then, and this year that committee will have many mouths to feed.

Keeping five tight ends means cutting corners somewhere else, but both Canales and General Manager Dan Morgan in their post-training camp pressers indicated that all five bring necessary skillsets.

Maybe the biggest addition to this group was the late signing of Darren Waller. Waller may have only caught 24 passes last year, but 25% of those passes went for scores. Waller missed the preseason games while getting back into NFL shape and speed, but has looked good in practice.

If Waller can provide even a shred of what he did last year in Miami, this team’s tight end room will be a much more imposing force in the pass game.

The other key addition to the room was the return of special teams extraordinaire Feleipe Franks. After a one-year stop in Atlanta, Franks is back to help captain a special teams unit that needs to improve from last season.

Offensive Line

Starters: Rasheed Walker, Damien Lewis, Luke Fortner, Robert Hunt, Monroe Freeling (R)
Backups/Reserves: Stone Forsythe, Albert Reese (R), Sam Hecht (R), Corey Bullock
Practice Squad: Jake Curhan, Torricelli Simpkins III, Chandler Zavala
Injured/Reserved Lists: Ickey Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Ryan Hayes

Biggest Surprise: Albert Reese making the active roster

Even before cut day, the Panthers were going to have to deal with a shuffling offensive line. Losing Taylor Moton before training camp, in addition to Ekwonu’s recovery and now Brady Christensen’s IR stint have forced the team to rely on depth.

The five starters being kept are self-explanatory, Walker, Lewis, Fortner, Hunt, and Freeling will all see immediate time on the field. Rookie center Sam Hecht and Stone Forsythe also make sense as immediate depth, though for fans’ sake, hopefully won’t have to see the field.

Undrafted rookie Albert Reese making the team is a bit of a welcome surprise, he graded extremely well during the preseason and likely would’ve been claimed during the waiver process, so keeping him around as tackle depth is a shrewd move.

Carolina’s lone waiver claim, and the final piece of the active OL puzzle is Corey Bullock, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. After waiving longtime backup Chandler Zavala (now on the practice squad), the Panthers need more guard/center depth, which Bullock can provide.

Where this room gets difficult is during the season, once some of the injured players possibly return.

It’s hard to imagine Taylor Moton not starting, and he will likely do so if he returns this season. Brady Christensen is also a valuable depth piece - able to play at all five spots. His return would surely displace one of the players on the active roster as well.

Lastly, Ickey Ekwonu, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon suffered in the playoff loss to LA, is on a better track to return than previously thought. Canales has indicated that the Panthers are hopeful that Ekwonu won’t miss the entire season.

If this is the case, Ekwonu’s spot along the active roster is a bit more murky than the other injured players. Should Walker and Freeling provide stability at the tackle spots, perhaps the best move for Ekwonu would be as a depth piece this season.

More of Ekwonu’s options moving forward are discussed here.

Defensive Line

Starters: Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson
Backups/Reserves: Lee Hunter (R), Aaron Hall (R), TeRah Edwards
Practice Squad: Parker Petersen (R), Anthony Goodlow
Injured/Reserved Lists: Tershawn Wharton

Biggest Surprise: Trading a future pick to LAC for TeRah Edwards

On the other side of the field, the defensive line looks to be much healthier. Big free agency addition from last season Turk Wharton is going to miss an indeterminant amount of time, but the rest of the group expects to enter the season healthy.

A starting group of Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, and sophomore riser Cam Jackson looks to be quite potent, especially against the run. Mixing in second round pick Lee Hunter should help against the run even more.

It’s become a theme during the Dan Morgan era of identifying undrafted rookie free agents that can contribute to the active roster. Players like Jalen Coker, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Corey Thornton have all had significant roles as UDFAs.

Duke DL Aaron Hall looks to be the next player in that department. Hall impressed throughout training camp and the preseason, to the point that the Panthers couldn’t risk him hitting waivers. Hall should bring some juice to the interior pass rush in a rotational role this season.

Perhaps the biggest surprise during the cut down process was Dan Morgan’s first ever pick-for-player trade. Late Sunday (8.30) evening, Carolina sent a 2028 6th Round Pick to the LA Charges for DL TeRah Edwards.

For Morgan to send a pick in a deal and not receive one back must mean the team really likes Edwards. It’s easy to see why - he brings the juice.

Aside from just splash plays, the Panthers were interested in Edwards’ down-to-down impact. Dan Morgan sounded excited during the post-cuts presser regarding why the team added Edwards:

“…we identified him in the preseason and he stuck out on tape. You know his motor, he’s strong, he’s physical, he plays the style that we’re looking for here. So [the trade] was really an easy decision for me.”

- Dan Morgan on sending a pick for TeRah Edwards

If nothing else, Edwards and Hall can provide adequate depth until Turk Wharton returns. Regardless, this is a position group that should me much-improved compared to last season.

Edge Defender

Starters: Jaelan Phillips, Patrick Jones II
Backups/Reserves: Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom, Trevis Gipson
Practice Squad: Cam Gill
Injured/Reserved Lists: Nic Scourton

Biggest Surprise: No additions to the position on the active roster or practice squad

One of the thinnest groups following cut downs are the edge defenders. Despite bringing back all six of the players that headlined the position in camp (Cam Gill is on the practice squad), this group did not do much to inject talent outside of the Phillips signing.

Adding Phillips, the return of Jones from injury, and the emergence of Umanmielen in his second year give hope that the room can finally start generating pressure - a key weakness in every year Ejiro Evero has been the defensive coordinator.

If any position gets addressed with depth prior to the season, I would expect it to be edge rusher. Carolina will need Jaelan Phillips to live up to his $30 million per year deal for this group to match what the defensive line’s level of play.

Linebacker

Starters: Devin Lloyd, Bobby Okereke
Backups/Reserves: Jackson Kuwatch (R), Claudin Cherelus
Practice Squad: Tyrell Dodson, Mapalo Mwansa
Injured/Reserved Lists: Bam Martin-Scott

Biggest Surprise: Releasing former 3rd round pick Trevin Wallace

Probably the most significant cut Carolina made last weekend was former Top 75 pick Trevin Wallace. Wallace, after spending his first two years as a starter, was released in favor of both internal development and external help.

Not only was Wallace released, but the entire position group got a facelift from last year:

• Christian Rozeboom → Devin Lloyd

• Trevin Wallace → Bobby Okereke

• Claudin Cherelus → Claudin Cherelus

• Bam Martin-Scott → Jackson Kuwatch

Even the practice squad is much-improved with the addition of Tyrell Dodson, a player with plenty of starting experience.

The additions take this group from a much-maligned spot on Evero’s defense to, potentially, a strength in the middle of the field. Lloyd and Okereke, even without playing a snap, is likely the best LB duo since the team fielded Kuechly and Davis back in the glory days.

Improved coverage ability, better blitz potential, and more sound tackling should all translate on the field this season with the investment this team has made in the position.

Corner

Starters: Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson
Backups/Reserves: Will Lee III (R), Chau Smith-Wade, Akayleb Evans
Practice Squad: DeVonta Smith (R), Corey Thornton, Zion Childress
Injured/Reserved Lists: n/a

Biggest Surprise: Releasing former starter Corey Thornton

Corner is another position that isn’t seeing a lot of wholesale change, but does have marginal improvements that should translate this season.

Adding physical rookie Will Lee III could be a larger addition than just being another player in the room. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Lee lined up almost exclusively on the boundary, where he thrived in college.

If Lee is able to hold up on the outside, it gives Evero a chance to move star corner Jaycee Horn around and into the slot, a position where he thrived early in his career under former Defensive Coordinator Phil Snow.

Other than Lee, the big story in the corner room is Chau Smith-Wade seemingly winning his starting role back from Corey Thornton last season. Smith-Wade had an excellent camp, topped off with a crazy interception against Jacksonville in Preseason Week 2.

Horn, Jackson, Lee, and Smith-Wade give Carolina comfortable options in coverage. Special teams stud Akayleb Evans also can contribute, and has had to do so when called upon over the past few years.

Safety

Starters: Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott
Backups/Reserves: Lathan Ransom, Zakee Wheatley (R)
Practice Squad: Isaiah Simmons
Injured/Reserved Lists: n/a

Biggest Surprise: No additions to the position on the active roster or practice squad

Perhaps the position group that will rely the most upon internal growth is the safety room. Outside of 5th round rookie Zakee Wheatley, the Panthers are running it back with Moehrig and Scott as the starters, with Lathan Ransom as a reserve.

Ransom and Wheatley have both shone during the preseason, both as tacklers and in coverage. If both players can have a similar impact during the regular season, the safety room can be in a decent spot.

Even with growth from the young players and steady play from the starters, this is probably the weakest group on the Panther defense. Just like with the edge rushers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an addition to the safeties at some point in the season.

Specialists

Starters: JJ Jansen, Sam Martin, Ryan Fitzgerald
Backups/Reserves: n/a
Practice Squad: n/a
Injured/Reserved Lists: n/a

There isn’t much to say about the specialists - other than that consistency is underrated.

The trio of Carolina’s oldest player in Jansen, a reliable punter in Martin, and an extremely clutch kicker in Fitzgerald is a huge boon for Carolina. Special teams are a significant part of the NFL game, and having all the key players back is important.

Fitzgerald in particular will be interesting to watch. After having four game-winning field goals in his rookie season, the Panthers have shown a willingness to lean on him in the clutch.

During the preseason, Fitzgerald also hit a career-long 61-yard field goal, hinting at being even more reliable this season.

A stable kicker, reliable pros at long snapper and punter, AND having key special teams players like Akayleb Evans, Feleipe Franks, and Thomas Incoom, should all combine to help Carolina stay one of the more consistent special teams units in the NFL.

The conclusion I come to when looking at this roster is a positive one. Simply put:

This is the best roster in the Bryce Young era.

It’s clear to see the vision that Dan Morgan and Dave Canales laid out in 2024 is starting to come into fruition. Real talent has been brought in via the NFL Draft and free agency, turning this group into a competent NFL team.

Training camp and the preseason are over, and with the regular season less than ten days away, it’s time to see if Carolina can avoid another slow start, hopefully on the way to another playoff run.

Off of the heels of a successful Hall of Fame Game performance, the Carolina Panthers looked to continue to roll heading into Buffalo. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan.

Dave Canales set a range of 10-20 “good plays” he wanted to see from the starters, and most fans can agree that neither side but forth an effort to earn those good reps.

Carolina’s defense got gashed in the pass game, but was able to get consistent pressure on Josh Allen in the red zone. The offense, however, was a different story.

Between penalties and poor performances, Carolina’s starting unit went onto the brand new field at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium and converted a whopping zero first downs on three drives.

Bryce Young was pressured on seemingly every dropback, only going 3/5 for 18 yards and registering a sack. The run game got stuffed on 2/3 of Jonathon Brooks’ attempts, netting the talented back only five rushing yards in his first action since 2024.

Whether or not you want to debate if the sky is falling down for the team, there were real issues on display. Perhaps the most unfortunate part is that these issues have been discussed by fans throughout the past few seasons, and haven’t been adequately addressed.

Let’s take a look at some of Carolina’s biggest blunders in this contest.

Guard Depth

I’d like to preface this point by acknowledging the absence of starters Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt in this game. Having both starting guards likely would’ve made a difference in this contest.

The duo’s absence in this contest, however, is a key factor in the issue of Carolina’s guard depth. Hunt missed almost the entirety of last season, and Lewis has hardly practiced in training camp this year.

It isn’t a guarantee that both players will be healthy for all 17 regular season contests.

Once you get past those two on the depth chart, it starts to get pretty bad in a hurry. Brady Christensen has been a valuable backup, but is still coming off of an Achilles injury he suffered midway through last season. Hopefully he will return to form.

Carolina’s biggest problem is this area is their lack of development, particularly with fourth-year guard Chandler Zavala. Zavala is the only other remaining member of the 2023 Draft Class (Bryce Young).

Hailing from NC State where he played alongside Ickey Ekwonu, Zavala has spent the last three seasons as a backup guard for the Panthers, filling in for the infinite OL injuries the team has been subjected to.

Zavala’s play has mostly been below average to poor over that time frame, never really taking a step to push either guard starter for playing time.

He’s had his moments, like in the Hall of Fame Game, but against NFL-caliber starters, it hasn’t looked great. This wouldn’t be the biggest of issues if Zavala were OL10 or beyond, but currently he’s slated to be the primary backup at both guard spots.

If Hunt or Lewis miss extended periods of time, having Zavala be one of the lynchpin players along the offensive line does not bode well for the offense.

On Monday (8.17) the team tried him at center in practice, seemingly trying to find a positive role for the fourth-year guard. Center depth is less of a question with the acquisitions of Luke Fortner and Sam Hecht, but maybe that’s where Zavala can have a role.

This isn’t an exercise just to harp on Zavala, but rather point out that he is the key backup to a position already exposed to injury. If Carolina doesn’t bolster the interior offensive line depth, it could come back to haunt them mid-season.

Defensive Scheme

Carolina’s other main blemish in this contest was the defense, specifically the scheme.

Let me be clear - I’m not expecting Carolina to run a ton of post-snap movements, send fire blitzes every down, or try to do something too exotic in the preseason.

But can we stop doing stuff like this? Giving almost ten yards of cushion on a 4th and 3 is asking the other team if they’d like to convert for free.

This play is probably an extreme example, but the pass defense was consistently carved up throughout the afternoon. When the starters were in, both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson seemed to be out of place, leading to big pass plays for Buffalo.

Again, it is just the preseason. But playing more soft zone looks will only lead to smart quarterbacks and coordinators carving the defense up.

Now that Carolina has invested in players like Phillips and Lloyd, the need to rely so heavily on zone needs to dwindle. Horn and Jackson are some of the best physical corners in the league - it’s time to let them man up more often.

Like the guard depth issues, the defensive scheme has been a point of contention among Panthers fans for the past few years. Hopefully with higher-paid and performing talent, more diverse calls can be implemented to try and disrupt offenses, rather than letting them disrupt the Panthers.

Good Stuff

While the game was largely a blowout, there were still bright spots for Panthers fans to cheer for:

• Jaelan Phillips played like he was worth every penny of his $30 million per year deal. In just a handful of pass rush snaps, Phillips recorded a couple pressures and his first sack as a Panther.

• Just like Phillips, Princely Umanmielen answered the call filling in for the injured Pat Jones II. Umanmielen fought past the Bills’ starting offensive line to pressure Josh Allen a few times as well, including the pressure that led to Phillips’ sack.

• Devin Lloyd also looks to be worth his deal, flying down to fit the run and looked rangy in coverage.

• Ja’Seem Reed and John Metchie III both continued to impress, each hauling in a touchdown. The back end of the receiver room will be heavily contested between the young receivers.

• Just like in Canton, Zakee Wheatley continued to fly around making plays in both the run and pass game. Wheatley could be an important contributor in the secondary this season.

• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, first round draft selection Monroe Freeling looked the part with the starters. During his first NFL reps, Freeling held his own against guys like Greg Rosseau and Bradley Chubb. If Freeling looks like this during some of his first snaps at right tackle in the NFL, the ceiling will be pretty high.

Looking Ahead to Jacksonville

Fortunately, the NFL is a week-to-week game, and Carolina will have a chance to put the Buffalo game in the rearview mirror in Jacksonville. The Panthers flew down to Florida and have begun their joint practices with the Jags as of Wednesday (8.19).

Jacksonville will present a unique challenge for this group. Liam Coen had the offense firing on all cylinders last season, and defensive play-caller Anthony Campanile brought new energy to the defense. This will be quite the litmus test for the Panthers.

Some of the things that I’d like to see include:

• How does Carolina’s offensive line hold up against the physical defensive front of Jacksonville? Particularly, how does Monroe Freeling fare against Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker?

• How will Evero’s defense attempt to contain a high-octane Jaguars offense? Now that he has the pieces at every level of the defense, can the scheme actually shut down a good offensive team?

• Which receivers will separate themselves? Jacksonville’s weaknesses on defense can allow for big gains downfield, so who among the receiver group can take a lead in the position battle?

• Devin Lloyd’s return to where he was drafted. Can Lloyd show both Jags and Panthers fans that his AP All-Pro selection last season was just the beginning?

Early returns from the joint practices do not look great according to social media.

For Carolina, hopefully they can rectify the mistakes over the next two days and into the preseason matchup against their fellow Class of ‘95 Jacksonville Jaguars. Another drubbing like what the team saw in Buffalo can’t happen.

Ultimately, this is still just training camp/preseason, but good teams practice how they play. If the Panthers want to avoid a third consecutive slow start to the season in the Morgan/Canales/Young era, then something has to change for the better.

Late Wednesday evening, the Panthers made a move. The team signed former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to a one-year deal, bolstering a weak tight end room that was the source of much debate on social media.

Waller may be far-removed from his consecutive 1000-yard seasons, but he still has some juice left in the tank. Waller registered receptions in eight of his nine game with Miami last season, also hauling in six touchdowns.

Ironically, his best performance was arguably against Carolina in the Panthers’ Week 5 victory over the Dolphins.

I’m not certain Waller will find his former Oakland/Las Vegas form again with the Panthers. To be frank, I’m not even sure if Waller will end up contributing much, if at all this season.

What I am sure of, however, is that the Panthers brass have had a good look at the tight end group all offseason, and decided that there needed to be an infusion of talent.

Whether the group is disappointed in the progress of players like Mitchell Evans or Ja’Tavion Sanders (now 3rd on the unofficial depth chart), or the team was always going to look at adding a tight end, the change has been made.

Now that Carolina has made a move, they have shown a willingness to address areas that need clear improvement. This is a good thing, in my opinion, indicating a willingness that may not have been there in year’s past.

The problem, however, is that this team still has a few position groups that could use a similar injection of competition.

Let’s take a look at a few positions Carolina could still add some external help before the regular season begins.

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Edge Rusher

Following the season-ending injury to Nic Scourton, edge rusher is by far the position that needs help the most. As I mentioned in our review of the Hall of Fame Game, the Panthers reserve edge rushers were simply incapable of generating pressure on the Cardinals backups.

Combine this with the fact that the starters at that position, Pat Jones II and Jaelan Philips, aren’t exactly paragons of health. Edge rusher could become a massive problem in a hurry if the team doesn’t find adequate depth.

In August, no position group is going to have star free agents available, but luckily for Carolina, the market is robust with older veterans that could contribute in a rotational role.

Names like Haason Reddick and Yetur Gross-Matos are familiar with the Charlotte area, while other vets like Joey Bosa, Marcus Davenport, or Derek Barnett could also give a few snaps to the rotation.

Linebacker

Similar to the edge rusher position, Carolina added an extremely talented player in Devin Lloyd to be the guy in the linebacker room. After Lloyd, however, it gets pretty murky.

Currently, third-year linebacker Trevin Wallace is slated in as Lloyd’s running mate. This spot could change before the season starts, according to Dave Canales.

When your third-year Top 100 draft pick hasn’t taken the reins as a starter, it becomes a bit concerning.

After Wallace and Claudin Cherelus, whom he’s competing with to be the starter, the linebacker room is filled with undrafted free agents and 2026 7th round pick Jackson Kuwatch.

Also similar to the edge rusher market, there are a few names that could step in and quickly have a role with the team.

Bobby Okereke, Bobby Wagner, Germaine Pratt, and Logan Wilson could all reasonably provide good depth in the room. Fan-favorite Shaq Thompson is also currently a free agent after a year in Buffalo.

Despite all of the available names, this is probably the position I expect the least to be addressed. Edge rusher and the next group likely need more help, and Carolina likely can’t solve every problem at once.

Running Back*

This group may come as a surprise to some fans, considering the depth which the team deployed in the HOF Game and the incumbent players already on the team. However, Thursday morning, fans were hit with some tough news.

Starter Chuba Hubbard injured his hamstring and will likely miss the rest of the preseason.

If he’s expected to be back by Week One, adding a long-term rotation piece doesn’t seem likely. The Panthers probably could stand to add another back to handle some of the preseason, joint practice, and training camp practices, though.

With the hopeful emergence of Jonathon Brooks, and the utility that both Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon bring, it’s hard to imagine needing a high-end Hubbard replacement in the interim.

Should Hubbard’s injury linger, I could see the team addressing it with a more prominent name. Alexander Mattison, Antonio Gibson, and Najee Harris are all players with good experience that could step in if the Panthers need to make a call.

NFL offseasons are always turbulent. One minute, a team might feel good about a certain position. The next, they might add a veteran tight end that just came out of retirement last year.

Whether or not Carolina chooses to address the aforementioned positions, it’s good to see a team that’s not only aware of their weaknesses, but is willing to to a chance to improve them.

If Waller can give this team 5-10 good routes every game, it’ll be more than what the Panthers got from the spot last year.

We’re so back.

After an incredible back-and-forth game from the Cardinals and the Panthers, undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King put on a show in the second half, leading Carolina to multiple scoring drives and the eventual game-winner as time expired.

While the score of this game ultimately doesn’t matter, it was an excellent showing for fans. This was definitely the most entertaining Hall of Fame Game that I can remember.

As I mentioned in our pre-game article, the main course of this meal was backups and rookies showing what they can do. King was the headliner of our names to watch, and he certainly did not disappoint.

However, there were more takeaways to focus on than just the stellar quarterback performance. Before we get into this week’s contest, let’s take a look at some of the key points from Carolina’s 1-0 start to the 2026 preseason.

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Quarterback Controversy?

Let’s be real, as much as some fans enjoyed King’s performance on Thursday, there is no controversy over who the starter will be this season.

I’m not sure that there’s controversy over the primary backup position, either. The Panthers made a concerted effort to get a veteran backup this offseason, and I doubt King is automatically QB2 bound just because of one great half of football.

Where the “controversy” lies in the team’s decision-making going forward is whether or not to use one of the 53 main roster spots on Haynes King this season.

Carolina has only rostered two quarterbacks over the first seasons of the Morgan/Canales era. Dave Canales stressed during the offseason that he’d like to have a young, developmental backup, but the idea likely included King being on the practice squad to start the year.

After King's performance in Canton, however, that plan may not be possible.

Another wrinkle in this process is King injuring his hamstring on the final play of the game. If King’s sample is limited to only his HOF Game tape, which is pretty good, the team will have an even tougher decision.

Hopefully we get to see more of King, who was able to show off what he can do with his arm, throughout the rest of the preseason.

Other HOF Game Notes

• The trench play on both sides of the ball was hit-or-miss. Carolina’s offensive line struggled early against the Cardinals’ veteran-laden front, but settled once King took over

• Carolina’s defensive line was the bigger worry. Aside from an up-and-down performance against the run, the unit didn’t generate much pressure on the quarterbacks. The edge rusher rotation was particularly disappointing

• Defensive back was another wishy-washy position in this game. Will Lee III made a big play early with a 3rd down PBU, but followed it up with falling to every double move the Cardinals threw at him. Fellow rookie Zakee Wheatley put on a show, fitting the run and displaying NFL-level range on the backend

• By far the most impressive position group were the receivers. John Metchie III, Ja’Seem Reed, and Jimmy Horn Jr. all came alive at some point to make plays both as receivers, and in the return game. All three players showed that they will be worth keeping once cut day comes around

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Starters Playing In Buffalo

Last week was fun, but Saturday against the Bills will be the first chance to see the starters in action. Dave Canales indicated that he wanted the starters to have about 10-20 plays, similar to what the group did during last year’s preseason games.

The range from ten to twenty plays seems to mean that Canales wants the team to put forth one good drive or a few drives where the offense can move the chains and the defense can make things difficult for Buffalo.

Fans will look forward to seeing a lot of the favorites get their time on Saturday, but one player has the chance to make a huge impression - not just for the fanbase but for the coaching staff.

This will be Jonathon Brooks’ first snaps since the 2024 season. When asked about the plan for Brooks on Saturday, Dave Canales sounding incredibly optimistic:

“Absolutely…He’s in great shape, he’s ready to rock, he’s ready to play football. And so now that’s just the next part of it, and, you know, he’ll play with the first group. He’ll mix in and out with Chuba and we’ll be able to get a good look at those guys…”

- Dave Canales when asked about Brooks’ availability against Buffalo

Despite the additions over the past few seasons, the Panthers offense still lacks explosive ability and juice. If Brooks is healthy and moves like he was a Texas a few seasons ago, he can be a source of explosive plays this team desperately needs.

Brad Idzik’s First Real Test

Last Thursday’s contest was the first time Brad Idzik called a complete game, and he did a pretty good job. While the offense was mainly vanilla concepts, he showed some wrinkles that highlighted the strengths of his players, especially giving Haynes King good opportunities.

Buffalo will be the first time Idzik gets the chance to call plays for Bryce Young and the starters since becoming the full time guy. With the 10-20 play range in mind, this will be a great opportunity for the Idzik/Young connection to grow over a few drives.

I don’t think any fan expects Idzik to empty the playbook this week for the starters, but the rhythm and cadence between play-caller and quarterback should be on display in this game.

The most ideal outcome would be no procedural penalties for the offense, as well as Idzik giving the group one or two chances to air it out. Having command of the offense while the starters are in the game is good enough for me.

Can We Get Some Pressure?

Perhaps the most disappointing result from the Hall of Fame Game was the lack of pressure on Arizona’s third (a rookie) and fourth string quarterbacks.

Despite winning the sack battle (two to Arizona’s one), the defensive front allowed time for multiple deep shots that were converted, and almost routinely were gashed in the run game.

Understandably, there weren’t many exotic looks, stunts, or blitzes from the second level, but the group still didn’t force the quarterbacks into making bad decisions.

This week, fans and the Panthers coaches alike will probably want to see more from the defensive front. If the Bills play their starters to counter Carolina’s, it’ll be the best possible litmus test for the defensive line trying to bring down Josh Allen.

Pass rush has long been an issue in Carolina, and if the team doesn’t find depth that stands out in the upcoming preseason contests, the team may need to look externally for answers.

Just like with last week’s game, the final score doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of this season. What does matter is how well the starters are able to come out of the gate, and how well the depth players continue to play within the Panthers system.

It would be nice if Carolina continued their winning streak, but ultimately, Idzik meshing with the starters is far more important.