NFL offseason power rankings: No. 32 Carolina Panthers are in state of depression

(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports)

As a fan, what do you do when your team’s owner is the worst in the league?

Last year erased any doubt for the Carolina Panthers. David Tepper took the worst owner belt vacated by Daniel Snyder and ran with it. The Panthers are going to have to win despite a rough situation, due mostly to Tepper but also to a trade that was supposed to change the franchise, but might have changed it in the wrong way.

Last year was supposed to be a fresh start. Bryce Young, the top pick of the NFL Draft, represented hope. Young was going to be the answer that Tepper had been pushing for at quarterback. The Panthers hired a new head coach and former NFL quarterback Frank Reich to lead Young’s development. For all of the missteps in Tepper’s first five seasons owning the team — and there were plenty — it seemed like everything was going to get better for Carolina.

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Then in the Panthers’ first game, Young threw two interceptions, posted a 48.8 passer rating and the Panthers lost 24-10 to the Atlanta Falcons.

Young isn’t the first rookie quarterback to have a bad debut. But it was a sign.

Over the next few months, the Panthers won just two games by a combined four points, Reich was fired 11 games into his first Carolina season and Tepper ruined whatever was left of his reputation by throwing a drink on a heckling fan. On top of that, Young rarely showed any glimpses of future stardom (Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice broke down his concerning rookie season) and C.J. Stroud, selected right after Young in the draft, had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. Then after the season the Panthers traded defensive end Brian Burns, the Panthers’ best player. In 2022, the Panthers turned down a trade offer from the Los Angeles Rams of two first-round draft picks for Burns. When the Panthers did trade an unhappy Burns, they got just a second-rounder back from the New York Giants.

The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL and…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-18 12:18:15

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