Seltzer

Honest to God with all the crazy poo that has happened since 2020, who knows man... I'm sure as hell leaning in on this one though!

Low-key this is one of the bigger (and best) storyline heading into this season. Football people are being allowed to do their jobs, and hopefully we will see that effort come to fruition in terms of competing for the playoffs this year

Or a restructure. Nobody is paying him $25M a year at this point I would think the team would view this a one-year deal with the option of maybe negotiating something further. There's still a significant chance Evero is gone after this season also which could lead to more inevitable changes. So the ultimate question to me is does the team think there is enough upside for this season to trade for him. I say yes, but I completely understand the argument against it as well.

Wow lol I thought I partied some in my younger days... some of you boys really were wild...

Some of our glorious huddlers have the memory of a goldfish buried in a sea of pessimism & forgetfulness....

Jalen Ramsey would play CB & FS here imo. He won't have any guaranteed money after this year. That is really the only thing that would have been a hold up. As long as we can work out something to make the cap hit palatable for this year (and only give up a Day 3 pick), it seems like a no-brainer. We have plenty of cap, especially if they restructure Moton. Ramsey's contract could be restructured for next year if he works out, or he could be like Gilmore and basically a one-year rental for a 6th. Regardless, either scenario would be worthwhile imo. The idea that this would be cost-prohibitive or not fit the timeline is nonsense. Make it happen Dan!

Evero mentioned Jalen Ramsey's name again in his presser yesterday... There is enough smoke here to at least entertain it. Evero unprompted brought his name up twice in recent weeks on record. I think we are 100% adding a secondary player, and while I still think adding Ramsey is more unlikely than not, an addition is coming and I wouldn't be surprised if it is Ramsey.

Also, I'm really excited about JT Sanders and think he can develop into a big-time receiving weapon. I'm not a draft guy, but I did go back to look more into JT Sanders bc he really flashed as a rookie. Here is a link to his rookie highlights: https://x.com/4MR_Fetti/status/1925264757805797382 It could turn into one of the better draft picks the Panthers have made in the 4th Round. I didn't realize it, but a lot of draft guys had him as their #2 TE last year behind Brock Bowers. I do like what this TE group brings: 1) Tommy Tremble (versatile, more of an H-Back TE) 2) JT Sanders (primary receiving) 3) Mitchell Evans (end of line TE)

We're all learning that while Canales likes to present himself as an open book, he can lie and say nothing via coachspeak with the best of the lol...

My understanding is that Canales was asked about Tommy Tremble. Canales stated he had had back surgery, it was successful, and that they expected Tremble back for Training Camp. The Panthers PR person later clarified that Tremble will start TC on the PUP list. However, PUP during preseason isn't like PUP during the regular season where you definitely will miss time. Tremble can come off the PUP at any point, and to me Canales' statement made it seem like they were expecting him fully back near the start of TC. So, reading the team leaves, it seems like Tremble will be at TC but not practicing at least initially. Canales seemed to indicate he expected Tremble to be a part of TC, so that would indicate they anticipate him being activated around the start of TC. In terms of concern, who can honestly say? Its certainly not ideal that the surgery took place now. However, it does seems like this is an issue the team was fully aware of, and the plan was to rehab without surgery. The concern is obviously Tremble wasn't fully recovering without surgery, now the surgery will at least impact TC, and surgeries are never guaranteed. And back injuries can linger and rarely completely resolve. Still, there are a whole gamut of procedures that constitute back surgery, and while surgery is only "minor" when it's not your own, this doesn't seem to be a major procedure. Tremble is in the building this week, so it's obvious hes not incapacitated or anything. Will just have to wait and monitor. Im excited to see how JT Sanders and Mitchell Evans look in 2 TE sets since they fit more differentiated roles (Sanders is primarily a receiving threat, and Mitchell is more of a traditional TE). I hope Tremble is fully healthy for Week 1. This isn't the flashiest TE group in the league, but I think given the emergence of Sanders, as long as Tremble and Evans can be good role players we should be fine.

100%. And these same people will claim you have an agenda. You can't have it every way. We had the lowest rated defense in the league last year. Statistically the worst ever. By PFF grades (for whatever that's worth- but they are readily accepted, used, and conveyed by most "reputable" sources), the defense was the worst ever. Not only that, PFF rated our receiving corp the worst in football last season. The absolute worst... out of 32 teams. Which is why regardless of the lip service Canales and Morgan paid to the current guys, they knew it would be criminal not to give Bryce more help. People fixating on team stats and not taking these things into context are stupid, plain and simple, and I'm for one thankful they're not running this team (or probably anything for that matter bc they obviously can't discern reality. Again, going back to the eyeball test these Narrative Nancies seem to hate so much, did they not see the windows Bryce was putting balls into? Have the generally not watched much NFL? Please, please show me the film where all these NFL QBs are making throws like this to this point Bryce was "below average" down the stretch compared to them. Bryce made more wow throws in that 3 game stretch of the Bucs, Chiefs, and Eagles than every other QB combined in all the years since since Cam got hurt I genuinely am baffled by people that can watch throws like that and act like it's nothing. I guarantee you Steve Spagnola, Todd Bowles, and and Vic Fangio didn't think it was nothing after watching the little guy torch them with players those teams would be embarrassed to trot out at the skill position players. The national media spent all year making excuses for Mahomes not having elite weapons when he had multiple 1st & 2nd round talents at the skill positions along with future HoFers in Kelce and Hopkins. Bryce wasn't throwing for 300 yards every week with David Moore and Adam Theilen in spite of jaw dropping throws and you want to say the guy played below average. For those people, again, we ain't watching the same sport. And the name calling doesn't change that... The vitriol and projection... it's off the effing charts with these people.

Dude you're all over the place. Bryce definitely played better than average down the stretch last year. That's what I said. I dont think it's controversial, and I think it's true based both on stats and by actually watching him play. He was the 6th rated passer by PFF during the last 8 weeks. In no world is that below average You trying to twist this into something else is a you thing. Have a great night

Below average? Seriously?? That is wild AF My man we ain't watching the same game... And I'm hard-pressed to believe you're watching the same film coaches are either if that is the take you honestly believe... I've been to almost every home game at BOA over the past 20 years... I've seen a lot of bad QB play over the past 7 years. Anybody that wasn't truly impressed by what Bryce did what the cast-offs he had to work with at the end of last year is delusional. His top 3 weapons were a 34 undrafted guy, a 7th round journeyman, and an UDFA rookie... seriously, what are we doing here??!! Some of these takes are beyond outlandish... You admitted yourself you're comparing Bryce to a guy you didn't even watch but are cherry picking stats for... So go back to your eyeballs and make it simple... how much NFL football have you watched my man?? Bc to me and my eyeball test, Bryce blew it out of the effing water down the stretch. What QBs are you watching playing so much better than him that you feel confident in saying "below average?" If you watched that and came away with anything else, we ain't watching the same thing... But beyond the eyeball test, every advanced metric in the book backs it up also... so again, what are you seeing that no one else is?? You think just anybody is going out there and dueling with Mahomes & Hurts with an almost comical inferior supporting cast and doing that? Whatever, to each their own, but it is wild to pull for a team where so many people feel compelled to crap on your QB after he just pulled maybe the greatest in-season turn around in league history and was playing by any eyeball test (for anyone that has watched an appreciable amount of NFL football) or even the advanced metrics for that matter.

Why would we not be contenders? As long as Bryce plays like he did when he came back, we absolutely can be contenders...that is... if the defense plays better... which is why adding someone like Ramsey when we have a QB on a rookie deal and can afford it makes sense IMO. No one thought of the Commanders being contenders last year or the Texans the year before and so on and so forth. Top-end QB play, especially for a guy on a rookie deal, changes everything in terms of timelines. Regardless of what this board thinks, I hope the front office is willing to he aggressive in thks window we currently have with a rookie QB deal

Would absolutely love to have him. I dont think he would require more than a 5th rounder. The biggest thing with his contract is the amount of guaranteed money. As long as they can work out and scenario where the Panthers aren't on the hook for a lot of that, I think it's a no-brainer. The Panthers can come up with $20M at the drop of a hat with restructuring Moton's contract, so there definitely isn't an issue from a money perspective. Jaycee paired with Ramsey along with Mike Jack would give us one of the best CB groups in the league. The one caveat I see is that safety still remains our biggest current weakness. We need a starting caliber S more than CB, simply put. But adding someone like Ramsey would be amazing as long as the compensation made sense. Ramsey could also play for FS snaps also. I also dont understand this nonsense about being seasons away. We have a QB on a rookie deal who was playing at an elite level to end last season. Within reason, now is absolutely the time to make moves like trading for Ramsey.

Thank you! Bryce proved himself and earned the right to go into this season as the unquestioned starter. At some point, only haters with an agenda could watch what Bryce was able to do down the stretch with the cast he had to work with and not be impressed. Everything could change this season depending on how it plays out, but the idea that he hasn't shown anything is nonsense. Now is the real challenge for Bryce... being able to replicate and play at that level consistently. Im excited to see how it unfolds, and hopeful Bryce is going to play like he did down the stretch this year.

Kalil helped Cam tremendously his rookie season

Again, this is why they play the games. I stand by what I said. I know a lot of people in here really need Bryce to fail to validate themselves. Myself, I genuinely believe my eyes and my history watching football. He was very good to end the season with a subpar supporting cast (at least at the skill positions). I love this team, and I feel like we have a franchise QB. The proof will be this year. I think we are going to surprise a lot of people. If Bryce had even the semblance of a functional defense, we would have beaten the Bucs, Chiefs, and Eagles down the stretch. All you doom & gloomers have had your time. I'm legit excited, and think most Panthers fans, especially the ones that exist outside of this board, feel the same way.

It's hard to overstate how important an offensive line is to a QBs performance and development. If there was one overriding failure during Cam's run, it was the fact we invested so little overall in his protection. The value of giving Bryce good protection, especially in the interior, is paramount. I genuinely cannot remember a year where we had this much Oline talent and depth. I am not sure if we have done enough on defense to be great, but the offense has no excuses.

I personally think you are trying to talk yourself into circles here... It's ok to say Bryce played incredible the last 5 weeks... I know there are plenty of people on this board who desperately need the doom-and-gloom narrative, but I genuinely question how much NFL QB play some of these people really have watched when they still question him being the unquestioned starter for next year... Again, that being said, no one is crowning him at all. I think Bryce is one of the best stories going into 2025 bc his season last year was so outlandishly unprecedented. It's totally fair to personally not believe in Bryce. Plenty of sports "journalists" need to write stories, and that's an easy narrative path... But I think that actual people in the know rank Bryce much higher. That's the fun thing about sports... we shall see!

Regardless of how we got here, any rational fan should be excited by how well Bryce played down the stretch. Anyone not happy about that level of play either doesn't know what they're looking at, or they're still trying to drive tired narratives. Obviously, Cam had an all-time rookie season, and I'm not putting the two in the same basket yet, but as someone who has watched every snap of Panthers football since the start of the new millennium (Im old), Bryce was playing at a higher level at the end of 2024 than Cam was at the end of 2012 (his 2nd season). Cam continued to develop into MVP form, something Bryce has to prove, but as someone who watched both (and will stan for Cam always), Bryce was playing at a higher level to end year 2 than Cam did. Go watch the film if you dont believe me. None of that means anything for the future. But the people who said BY9 couldnt play in this league are wrong. That being said, the only thing that matters is this year. #20 is perfectly fair IMO going into the season. I mean think about it, how would you rank him??! His in-season turnaround is one of the wildest things I've ever seen... how do you rank a guy who looked like a massive bust in September and by January was consistently playing at a top 10 level? My excitement level is pretty damn high heading into this season. There were throws from the Chiefs game onward where Bryce had Drew Brees levels of anticipation. Im excited to see what he can do with a full deck on offense, something we really never gave Cam. Really hope and expect Bryce to move up this list this season.

Better speed too. I'd love to add another speed guy beyond Jimmy Horn. Renfrow is a great story, and if he can return to his pre illness form, he could be a legit contributor. But I'd take Samuel over anyone else for that last WR spot

This is the offense we were gaslighted into believing we had in 2023 and so justified trading up for a QB. Regardless, the past is the past. On paper, this is definitely the best unit since 2021, maybe 2017. It's Year 3 for Bryce. Everything is lining up. I've been a BY9 supporter more than most, but this is his year to show out and he has the supporting cast. Cam didn't make the playoffs until Year 3. But statistically, the goods ones do by this time. I'm legit excited for this offense- hope they dont let us down.

Very good write up OP. Really enjoyed reading it. The camp battle for the final WR spot(s) will be fascinating. I think Renfrow will have the inside track if he is remotely like the guy he once was. Good route runners are the best friend of a QB throwing with anticipation. Im intrigued by Jacolby George, but I think there's a good chance the team will release and then sign back to PS unless he really impresses. I wouldn't be completely surprised if David Moore gets the final WR spot. He can play a lot of different roles and knows Canales system. He really contributed over the last few games, but hes not a long term or even intermediate term solution so hopefully we can upgrade. Moore fits here, but I dont think we would have a lot of competition if he was cut and then brought back if needed

2021 has ended up being one of the better drafts we've ever had, but drafting a LS was peak Rhule/Fitterer... What a complete waste of a draft pick