Star guard is absolutely giddy about 2025 Panthers

Last offseason, the Carolina Panthers added former Miami Dolphins’ second-round pick Robert Hunt to an offensive line that was ranked a mediocre 16th in the league by Pro Football Focus in 2023. The 6’6”, 323-pound blocker started the first 16 games of 2024 at right guard and didn’t miss a snap, but did sit out the Week 18 clash with the Falcons at Atlanta. In his fifth NFL campaign, Hunt was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2024.

This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan has bolstered both sides of the ball for a team that won four of its final nine games this past season. Conversely, there has certainly been a buzz surrounding these Panthers as Dave Canales prepares for his second season as the team’s head coach.

Panthers’ Pro Bowl guard Robert Hunt appears pumped for 2025

“Getting into the building, getting into the stadium and playing games, you see, you can feel it, man,” explained Hunt on Tuesday afternoon (via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com). “This city—speaking for the city—has a lot of hope; they want winners. And you can feel it once it’s kind of close, like we won five games last year, which is not great, by any means, but it felt like we were doing something great because it’s the city looking for it.”

“So, that vibe feels great,” continued Hunt. “The team vibe feels great. I feel like the team feels that they, we all want to be good, man, no matter what it is…”

Robert Hunt gets chills when he considers how the #Panthers could surprise some people this year. pic.twitter.com/uwpomdWLdY
— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) July 22, 2025

Hunt was part of an improved offensive line that finished 2024 as PFFs eighth-ranked unit. Led by Hunt and fellow 2024 newcomer Damien Lewis, tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, and centers Austin Corbett and Cade Mays, this group has emerged as a team strength. Combine that with a rejuvenated Bryce Young, the Panthers’ attack was much more effective unit the second half of the season.

Hence, this team enters 2025 with a lot of new faces and arguably a strong air of confidence. “I think, personally, man,” added Hunt, “I like what I see. Obviously, we’ve got to play some football here in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll see how that feeling will look. Then, we’ll play other teams. We’ll see how that feeling will look, but I think we’re built the right way.”

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