Draft, Free Agency Didn't Change Panthers' Position in NFC South Hierarchy

There is a lot of consternation over the Carolina Panthers' place in the NFC South. Some believe they're still the top team, while others think that their rivals are due to bounce back and the Panthers are due to regress.

They have a 6.5-win over/under line, and their odds of winning the division for the second year in a row are literally the worst in the division per FanDuel (+310). There's not a lot of confidence, but there should be after a nice offseason in free agency and the draft.

The Panthers are still the team to beat in the South

New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (24) reacts after scoring a touchdown | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Panthers were ranked 17th in SI analyst Connor Orr's post-draft Power Rankings. That is obviously not great, but being roughly a top-half team in the league isn't bad, especially when they did win eight games with a negative point differential last year.

"The Panthers are an offseason favorite, but the plan came into full view with the second-round selection of Lee Hunter. Upgraded offensive line? Check. Significantly upgraded defense with one of the more high-upside interior line tandems in the league right now? Check. Devin Lloyd is going to have a field day as a playmaking off-ball linebacker," Orr wrote.

It is this brilliant offseason that has the Panthers in a great position to defend their crown. The Saints did pretty well in the draft, adding Jordyn Tyson and Christen Miller to improving units on both sides of the ball.

The Falcons upgraded at quarterback and probably head coach, and they drafted Avieon Terrell and Zachariah Branch. The Buccaneers were really good for part of last season, and they aced the draft with Rueben Bain, Ted Hurst, Josiah Trotter, and Keionte Scott.

And yet, the Panthers still reign supreme. Per Orr's rankings, the Panthers are 17th, the Buccaneers are 21st, the Saints are 24th, and the Falcons are 26th. That's not an inspiring division, but the Panthers are still the team to beat.

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (82) runs with the ball in the overtime | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

It can be argued that the Panthers did not have the best team in the division last year. They were still bereft of talent at plenty of spots, and they overperformed and got lucky to win the NFC South.

That can't be argued anymore. They infused the defensive line and linebacker corps with talent. The offensive line is more talented now. They even added some juice to the wide receiver room with Chris Brazzell.

If the South couldn't beat the Panthers last year, they're going to have a tough time doing it when Carolina has as much if not more talent than its opponents in the division.

Even though the division ended up being very tight with a three-way tiebreaker and one team two games back, the Panthers did enough to cement themselves as the team to beat in 2026.

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