Joe Glorioso

NFL wide receiver DJ Moore in a game against the Washington Commanders.

The Carolina Panthers have started the season 2-12, despite having the #1 overall pick in last year’s draft along with making key signings and hiring a new head coach.

With the seemingly positive moves made by Panthers management, fans of the team had high hopes for the season, only for their hopes to come crashing down.

“I thought we were gonna have a good start, and the fact that we could have done better and that  I don’t have to constantly be hearing my friend saying, ‘Haha. What are y’all doing’ was a good thought, but it just hasn’t been happening this year and I wish we could have done better,” senior Benjamin Ferguson said.

With the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Panthers took Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Many doubted Young coming into college because of his size; instead, he proved them all wrong as he showed up almost weekly at Alabama. During his first nine career starts in the NFL, he threw for only eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

“I think the fact that he’s new to the NFL is a big factor in how he’s been playing, But the weird thing is, why would he be nervous? If he did well in college, he should be able to move what he did in college into the NFL and then improve on it. I don’t even think the coaches are letting him or even trying to help him improve on it as much as they should be,” Ferguson said.

However, Young has not been the only cause of the Panthers’ struggles, with injuries to some of the team’s star players like Donte Jackson, Jaycee Horn, and Brian Burns hurting the defense immensely.

“I feel like the injuries definitely have hurt us, but even with the injuries, you have to win multiple games. You cannot just have one slim win over the Texans and fully blame injuries,” sophomore Luke Bulman said.

In the offseason, the Panthers made many moves to help bolster the offense that fans liked when they happened. However, more and more questions are being asked by the week, like signing running back Miles Sanders and trading away DJ Moore.

“I think the biggest mistake we made this offseason was trading up. I think this quarterback class was one of the weaker ones. Next year, you have Caleb Williams; a couple of years ago, you had Trevor Lawrence. I just don’t think this was the draft class to trade up,” Bulman said.

Carolina introduced Frank Reich as the new head coach during the offseason. Reich was fired by the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 after nine games because the team did not meet the standards the front office wanted. Panthers fans thought Reich could be the answer, especially after how statistically bad previous coach Matt Rhule was. However, Reich has not lived up to the expectations that were set for him, as there have been numerous times where Reich has made questionable play calls that did not work out, ultimately leading to his firing on November 27, 2023.

“I would blame [the Panthers’ struggles] on one certain thing: I would say it’s the coaching staff. It’s like one of the big ones because you gotta help Bryce Young. He’s a rookie, you know, and I feel like the play calling hasn’t been very helpful towards him,” senior Bradley Spargo said.

With Carolina firing Reich halfway through the season, the biggest question swirling amongst fans across the NFL is “who will be the next Panthers head coach?” Many analysts feel as though Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson is the favorite to become the next Carolina head coach as the Panthers tried to hire him last season, however Johnson was not looking to leave the Lions, but he is now.

Another heavy candidate is New England Patriots head coach Bill Belicheck. There is speculation that he will leave the Patriots at the end of the season and will head to Carolina or Los Angeles to become the Chargers head coach.

Some analysts have also said that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh might try and make a return to the NFL following his most recent scandal at Michigan and join Carolina to become their head coach.

Optimistic fans hope that Young and the rest of the team can find their footing and start racking up wins before the season ends; others think it will only get worse.

“I don’t think we make the playoffs because we start to play the Jaguars and the Cowboys, and we probably won’t sweep the Buccaneers. Even though it’s possible, I don’t see the Panthers making the playoffs with seven losses already,” Spargo said.

(UPDATE: the Panthers have now been officially eliminated from 2023 playoff contention.)