The Biggest Reason For Pessimism in Carolina Panthers' NFC South Defense

The Carolina Panthers took a massive step forward in 2025 under second-year head coach Dave Canales, finishing 8-9 in the regular season and winning the NFC South for the first time since their legendary Super Bowl run in 2015.

Now, Canales and the Panthers will be looking to defend that division crown in what is arguably the most wide-open division in the NFL, and while there are a lot of reasons to like Carolina's chances to repeat, there are also some serious areas of concern that could end up impeding them in that quest.

Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness recently broke down what fans can expect to see from the Panthers in 2026, and he listed a couple of areas of concern as the biggest sources of pessimism when it comes to defending their NFC South Crown.

The Offensive Tackle Conundrum

The most glaring red flag that Carolina will be dealing with heading into the new campaign, per McGuinness, will be the health of their offensive line, and, more specifically, the current injury concerns plaguing both the right and left tackle positions.

"The Panthers are currently without both starting offensive tackles," McGuinness writes. "Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the wild-card loss to the Rams, while right tackle Taylor Morton is sidelined with blood clots. It remains unclear when either will return in 2026, but both appear likely to miss at least the start of the season."

The Panthers also dealt with injury issues up front on offense in 2025, but the tackle spots were a rare bright spot and played a massive role in Bryce Young's career year. As such, potentially missing both Ekwonu and Morton for extended periods would be a massive blow for Carolina's offense, especially early on in the season.

Speaking of Bryce Young...

Panthers QB Bryce Young — Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) jogs to the huddle during training camp at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a rough first 2 seasons under center in Carolina, 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young finally had somewhat of a breakthrough in year three, posting career-bests in passing yards (3,011), touchdowns (23), and completion percentage (63.6).

2025 represented a major step in the right direction for Young, but the former Heisman winner was far from perfect under center. It seemed like every week it was feast or famine for Young, putting together a phenomenal performance one game, only to follow it up with an absolute dud the next.

Now on the verge of a potential contract extension, Young has yet to prove he can be the franchise QB the Panthers hope he will be on a consistent basis, a reality that McGuinness mentions as another potential pitfall for the team in 2026.

"There is also the question of how far Bryce Young can take this team," McGuinness writes. "The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is coming off his second consecutive season with a PFF grade above 70.0, but he has shown the potential to become a top-tier quarterback only in flashes."

He continues, "His 4.5% big-time throw rate in 2025 ranked tied for 19th among the 45 quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks. That level of production is manageable while Young remains on his rookie contract, but the Panthers will likely need to see more before committing to him beyond his fifth-year option in 2027."

If both Panthers and Young want to become consistent division contenders, then there simply has to be more consistency from the latter from week to week throughout the season. If he is unable to do so, then there could be some uncomfortable questions that need to be asked next offseason.

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