SCO96

There is some truth in what you say about having a bottom tier QB and still having some success in the NFL. However, the rest of the team can't be bottom tier at any level. You can't have bottom tier skill players, o-lineman, d-lineman, LB's and DB's. Those positions would have to be mid-top tier to compensate for the weakness at QB. And, Bryce would have to be willing to be paid as a bottom tier QB. That would allow the team to fortify all of the above positions to enhance BY's chance of success on the field. Unfortunately, I think there is little chance of Young and his agent accepting that in today's QB market. Which, is why Carolina has to be willing to move on if he doesn't show any significant improvement over the next 2 seasons.

Draft time is always tough. We all tend to have players that we want to see drafted, only to see out hopes dashed when the FO goes a different direction. I like what the team has done so far but I wouldn't be thrilled with a WR at 19, especially one who is already injury prone.

I went to ESPN so I could read the entire article. Outside of the list of total players acquired at the top, Devin Lloyd wasn't mentioned in the piece. Last year our O-line was fairly solid. The pass blocked well enough for Bryce to throw over 20 TDs and 3,000 yards; and blocked well enough to produce a 1,000 yard rusher (Rico). Outside of our weak pass rush, our weakest area on the team was ILB. We fill that position with one of the most talented players in the NFL and he doesn't even warrant a mention . Instead the writer gushes over a 1 yr acquisition at LT who they even admit is not a perfect player. Whatever.

I hate saying things like this, but so far JT has proven to nothing more than a JAG. When he doesn't play it has no significant impact on the offensive side of the ball. Tremble has had some good moments and is not a bad guy to have on a NFL roster. I'd prefer him over JT any day of the week. That said, Tremble 's high cap number has to be taken into consideration. I could understand the financial reasons for parting ways with him.

If we ran a 4-3 defense and had him playing next to Derrick Brown (as 4-3 NT or 3 Technique ideally) I'd make that move in a minute. He weighs about 270 and is tailor made to play as an edge rusher in a 4-3 defense. However, we seem to be locked in to the 3-4 scheme in Carolina. Hendrickson is too small to play has a 3-4 DE. That position would also neutralize his ability to come off the edge b/c he would now be playing inside of a OLB and going up against interior lineman. I don't think he's ever played as an OLB either. He's be bad fit in Carolina unless we moved to a 4-3 defensive scheme.

I wouldn't do it but If the team really wants to commit to Young then they need to tell Bryce that he has to improve on his performance next year or they're moving on. His TD/INT ratio wasn't too bad. But pretty much every other passing stat was. Yards per game, yards per attempt, EPA, were all at the bottom to the league. After seeing the Kurt Warner video, it's obvious that he needs to get with a coach and work on his footwork and throwing mechanics all off-season. If he could add just 10% more velocity to his throws it would improve his passing ability and make it easier for him attack all areas of the field. If I were in his shoes I'd be trying to get with.a QB whisperer before the end of the month and gladly fork over the money to acquire the best one available.

Leggete does not contribute anything significant to our passing attack. Despite the drop tonight, I'd rather see Jimmy Horn get those snaps at #3...or Tremayne.. It's possible XL could improve but I doubt it. I can see giving him one more chance in 2026, but if someone was interested in trading for him the team should consider moving him. if he stays but doesn't improve by end of the 2026 season the FO refuse to pick up the 5th year option and move on.

Agree on the need for an (edge) pass rusher. It's been a need since we sent Brian Burns to the Giants. Since we insist on running a 3-4 it needs to be an OLB. It be an added bonus if we could find another DE to pair with Brown, but with more pass rushing ability, even if he were only a situational guy. A ball hawking safety with some coverage skills to shore up the secondary and at least one big-time playmaker at ILB. If we took an elite player at any of these spots in on the first round or on Day 2 of the draft I'd be thrilled.

If only we could find you a Magic Lamp and a Genie to grant your 2 wishes!

If you look at the category just ahead of POOR (Bryce's ranking), it only improves to BELOW AVERAGE. Pay attention to what it says: Replacement-level starter, functional but inefficient, requires a strong supporting cast. If Bryce improved to 0.00, he'd still only by a marginal QB. I think we could accept this better if he were a 2nd or 2rd day pick. But, Bryce was the first overall player chosen and required us to part with our best WR, and multiple high draft choices. If he doesn't show a massive improvement in year 4, Carolina would be foolish not to start looking for a replacement heading into 2027. And, it wouldn't be able idea to acquire a legit back up this offseason.

. I actually had more I could have posted about EPA but I left it out because I thought the post was too long and the additional content was a little hard to understand.

Forgive me for this length of this post, but it has some interesting data which proves what we have been harping on since Bryce was drafted in 2023. https://www.nfl.com/news/one-potential-fatal-flaw-for-every-team-in-2025-nfl-playoffs Biggest weakness: Passing attack Bryce Young had his most efficient game in more than a month in Week 18, posting 266 yards -- just the third time he hit the 250-yard mark all season -- with a TD and an INT, yet the Panthers still put up only 14 points against a Bucs defense that hasn’t exactly been stingy against the pass this season. Among 26 quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts, Young's -0.08 EPA per dropback ranks fourth-worst. The only other playoff QB in the negative is 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers (-0.4). Since beating the Rams in Week 13, Carolina has put up more than 20 points in a game once in four tilts. With the run game slowed -- Rico Dowdle averaging 3.3 YPC and Chuba Hubbard 3.4 over the past four weeks -- the Panthers need Young to deliver. The Panthers' offense ranks 27th in net yards per pass attempt and 22nd in passing first downs and 26th in passing yards. No other playoff team ranks below 20th in passing yards entering Wild Card Weekend. --- I wasn't familiar with the EPA stat so I decided to research it. What –0.08 EPA per dropback means EPA/dropback measures how much a QB increases or decreases his team’s expected points on each play. –0.08 means the Panthers are losing about 0.08 expected points every time Young drops back to pass. Over 35–40 dropbacks per game, that’s roughly –3 points per game attributable just to passing efficiency. That –0.08 EPA/dropback ranking signals that Young’s passing game has been one of the least effective in the NFL, not just below average. EPA per Dropback Tiers Very Poor –0.15 or worse Offense is actively sabotaged by the passing game Backup-level or rookie-in-trouble territory Benchable over a full season Poor (This is where we currently place with Bryce...so far) –0.10 to –0.05 Bottom-quarter NFL starter Drives frequently stall due to sacks, failed 3rd downs, or lack of explosives Can win only with elite defense/run game Below Average –0.05 to 0.00 Replacement-level starter Functional but inefficient Requires strong supporting cast Average 0.00 to +0.05 League-average starter Keeps offense on schedule Can win games without carrying team Good +0.05 to +0.10 Clear top-12 QB range Efficient on early downs and 3rd downs Sustains drives consistently Very Good +0.10 to +0.15 Pro Bowl–caliber season Strong situational mastery Makes surrounding talent better Excellent / Elite +0.15 or higher MVP-level impact Offense scores meaningfully more because of the QB Rare — usually only 3–5 QBs per year Bottom Line EPA is best thought of as: “How much does this QB move the scoreboard in the right direction when he drops back?” 0.00 = treading water +0.10 = consistently winning plays –0.08 = putting the offense behind schedule --- The stats above clearly show that are passing game is our biggest liability as a team. Until the coaches improve that element of the team, Carolina will not ever reach the status of a perennial contender

While I agree, that reaching can come back to bit you if you pick the wrong guy at the wrong time (especially in the early rounds), but I think most of Panther fans on this forum would throw a shoe at the screen if we picked a GUARD in the 1st round. .

We've had a couple of threads on our forum about what to expect for the future of our team (ie: draft, FA, trades) in 2026. I decided to take a look at some 2026 draft predictions for the 1st round. I was baffled by what I found. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/wilsons-2026-nfl-mock-draft-latest/ (They have us taking an interior offensive lineman) https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/2026-nfl-mock-draft-what-will-dolphins-do-with-no-11-pick/ar-AA1TBB6l (same thing, different guy) https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/mock-drafts/2026/consensus-mock-draft-2026?date=all-time (same thing, different guy) https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2026/01/04/nfl-mock-draft-2026-first-round-order-projection/88006263007/ (TE) https://fansided.com/nfl/nfl-mock-draft-2026-full-first-round-projection-trades (Edge) Only one site had us taking a player to fill our biggest defensive weakness, edge rusher. And no one mentioned ILB. We gave out massive contract in 2024 to fill the guard spots. I could see "maybe" taking an elite center , but not a guard. TE's don't appear to factor in much in a Canales offense. It seems like these guys don't know our team needs at all.