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Carolina Panthers conspicuously missing from major NFL list

The Carolina Panthers were missing from a major NFL list that was just released.
Matthew Schmidt|
Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers showed some considerable promise toward the end of the NFL season, winning two of their last three games thanks to some superb play from rising quarterback Bryce Young.

Sure, the Panthers went just 5-12, but they are in a much better position now than they were a year ago.

The problem is that Carolina is still lacking in overall top-tier talent, and it doesn't have a whole lot of cap room to spend on free agents.

Speaking of free agents, the Panthers have 21 of their own heading into the offseason, and recently, Pro Football Focus released a list of the top 75 free agents in the league.

But here's the thing: not a single Carolina player was on the list.

Now, there are two ways of looking at this. One way is to simply say that the Panthers don't have a whole lot of good players on their roster, so they don't have anyone of significance hitting the open market.

The other way is to take a positive approach and say that Carolina won't be losing any of its best players to free agency.

What's important is that the Panthers have a growing young core led by Young and flanked by talents such as running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

Carolina must address its ailing defense in the coming months, as the Panthers just posted the worst defensive numbers in NFL history.

Hopefully, the Panthers can make some shrewd, affordable moves this offseason to get back on the right track. They've missed the playoffs seven years in a row.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and some college. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.Net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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