The Panthers Have Created a Window of Opportunity

Scott Fitterer has constructed a roster that's built to win for many years to come.

Landing the No. 1 pick in the draft isn't always a good thing. It typically means your roster is an utter mess and are years away from being relevant in your own division, let alone much else. 

The team that made the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers, are in a much different situation. They are ready to win now. 

What the team did a year ago, to start the year 1-5, see their head coach get fired, change defensive coordinators, go through three defensive line coaches and three different quarterbacks, yet finish one win shy of winning the division is impressive. They never packed it in despite facing an absurd amount of adversity throughout the season.

Better news? The Panthers accomplished one thing this offseason no one else in the NFC South did -- improve. Carolina assembled arguably the best coaching staff in the NFL, signed quality free agents on both sides of the ball, and landed its quarterback of the future in Bryce Young.

This is what GM Scott Fitterer has been building for since he first took the job in 2021. The plan was to build a defense, build the trenches, and go get a young quarterback on a rookie deal to create this window to win. Mission accomplished.

The Panthers didn't trade away DJ Moore and a package of picks to Chicago just to take a quarterback at No. 1. They had conviction on Young and so far he's everything they believed he would be.

"I think he's going to progress quickly in anything he does," head coach Frank Reich said. "I think we all kind of know that's the person he is. That's the kind of player he is. That's how fast his mind thinks and how gifted he is physically. You can just see him throwing the football out there how easy it is for him. A couple of us coaches were talking and we like to talk about low-RPM mode where it's just easy for him, you can see that. There will be challenges. There will be bumps and ups and downs but excited to get to work [with him]."

Young has spent a ton of time mastering the playbook and even caught veteran Andy Dalton by surprise by pointing out that a play was tagged wrong on the script for practice a couple of weeks ago. The little things matter and when you have a quarterback that is as detail-oriented and as eager to learn as Young is, you've got a chance to do something special.

Of course, Carolina will have to continue to address the wide receiver room over time but for now, Young has a nice mix of options to get the ball to. It also helps that he has Miles Sanders in the backfield, who will be running behind one of the top offensive line units in the league. 

But what really puts Carolina in the driver seat for years to come, in my opinion, is the defense. Seemingly every addition they made this offseason helped a returning player. Shy Tuttle gives Derrick Brown more freedom up front. Vonn Bell paired with Xavier Woods at safety allows Jeremy Chinn to play more in the box. Drafting DJ Johnson may have been a reach in the third round but is someone who can set the edge and help Brian Burns on the opposite side. And even bringing Shaq Thompson back gives the defense some stability and someone to look to when adversity hits.

The Panthers aren't going to be picking in the top ten anymore. With Young at the helm, this team is ready to turn the corner and will be in a position to compete in the NFC sooner than most think. Forget just the NFC South. Look around the rest of the conference. Aside from Jalen Hurts, there's not one quarterback out there that plays consistently at an elite level. 

If Young lives up to the hype, Carolina could be back in a Super Bowl within the timeframe of his rookie contract.

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