The Biggest Question the Panthers Still Haven’t Answered After Free Agency

The Carolina Panthers answered a ton of questions in free agency. Who's going to get to the quarterback? Jaelan Phillips. Who's going to cover the middle of the field? Devin Lloyd. Who's going to snap the ball? Luke Fortner.

Who's going to protect Bryce Young's blind side? Rasheed Walker. Who's going to back Young up? Kenny Pickett. Who's going to be RB1? Chuba Hubbard. Dan Morgan answered all of those questions very clearly, but one lingers.

Where's the offense going to come from?

The Panthers still don't know what their offense is going to do

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Most of the Panthers' offense last year came from Rico Dowdle. He's gone. Chuba Hubbard was good in 2024, but expecting him to be as good after a down year feels a little bit risky. The backups behind him are a bit shaky as well.

Tetairoa McMillan will take a leap. Jalen Coker will get a full season of health. But that is pretty much it on offense, and it's likely that Bryce Young needs more. He doesn't have a full complement of good, reliable weapons.

The Panthers had opportunities to sign players. David Njoku, Jonnu Smith, Darren Waller, Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Curtis Samuel, DeAndre Hopkins, and others are literally still available.

But the Panthers spent more money than anyone believed possible already, so it's highly unlikely they will add any of those players. This means, sadly, that the offense will still not have as much firepower as possible.

This can be fixed in the draft. The Panthers could shock the world by trading up for Jeremiyah Love. They could draft Makai Lemon on the off chance he falls to them. Kenyon Sadiq feels quite likely at 19 overall.

But those are questions for the draft. After free agency, it's still unclear where the offensive production is going to come from. Is Chuba Hubbard going to bounce back? Maybe. Will Jonathon Brooks be the same? Maybe.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) reacts with wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) in the second half | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Will Tetairoa McMillan continue to excel now that the league has a year of tape on him? Maybe. That's a lot of maybes for a quarterback in Bryce Young who hasn't yet shown the ability to elevate a lackluster offense on a weekly basis.

The good news is the draft still lingers in the distance. The bad news is that there's only so much they can do there, and that relying on rookies might not be the wisest strategy, at least not when they could've answered this question in free agency.