Bryce Young, Dave Canales, Panthers Offense In For Rude Awakening in 2026

There is an expectation that the Carolina Panthers will improve on offense this year. They've beefed up the offensive line, changed play-callers, and added a couple of intriguing pass-catchers. Bryce Young is now in year three of the Dave Canales system, and Young has improved every year.

The unit has been mediocre at best with Young under center, though there is plenty more to blame for that than just one player's shortcomings. Still, this is a crucial season for the team and for Young, so improvement is almost necessary if they're going to make any noise.

Unfortunately, improvement is going to be painfully hard to come by.

The Panthers' offense faces the worst possible slate of defenses

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

When glancing at the Panthers' 2026 schedule, there are a few defenses that immediately jump out. The Seattle Seahawks are returning most members of an elite unit that carried them to the Super Bowl.

The Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos ranked among the league's best last year, too. Those will certainly be challenging matchups for Bryce Young, Dave Canales, and the Panthers' offense. Unfortunately, those are only part of the problem.

There really isn't much reprieve from facing elite defenses, even when not matching up with those three teams. The Panthers, according to 2025 DVOA, which essentially measures how analytically successful a defense was on a play-by-play basis, have the worst slate.

2026 strength of schedule for offenses, using 2025 defensive DVOA rank of opponents pic.twitter.com/D8JN31UeUr
— Seahawk Nerd (@SeahawkNerd) May 24, 2026

The average DVOA of the defenses the Panthers have to face is 13.0, which is the lowest mark in the NFL. That means they have to face the hardest defensive schedule in the entire league. For reference, the Minnesota Vikings have the easiest defensive matchups at 19.9.

That doesn't bode well for a team that is desperate to field a competent offense. That doesn't bode well for a team that is trying to prove itself even after making the playoffs as a division champion in 2025. It doesn't bode well for trying to avoid relapsing into irrelevancy once again.

The good news is that DVOA changes year over year. Sure, the Seahawks, Broncos, and Browns will probably still have good defenses because they kept most of the units intact, but it is impossible to predict how defenses will be in 2026.

For example, the Vikings have the Panthers on the schedule, and the Panthers had the 21st-ranked defense by DVOA. By all accounts, the defense will be so much better this year, which would change the outlook for Minnesota.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) against the Detroit Lions | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Panthers face the Eagles, who had the seventh-best DVOA last year. But they lost Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship. They surely won't be as stout this year. Dominance over multiple years is hard, so the Panthers will probably not face the worst schedule of opposing defenses when it's all said and done.

All hope is certainly not lost, but we can't sugarcoat it, either. This is going to be a tough schedule, particularly on the offense. Hopefully, Bryce Young and company can rise to the occasion, but if they don't, it may not be the most shocking thing in the world.

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