Carolina Panthers

With just $9.8M in cap room ranked 25th in the league and $24.6M in dead money weighing down the books, Carolina has very little financial flexibility to address a roster with multiple high-priority holes.

36 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Eleven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Eight picks in the current draft including three first-rounders, and 22 selections across the three-year window, give Carolina genuine rebuild fuel despite the cap constraints.

• Acquired: Round 7 from Jets, this draft
• Acquired: Round 4 from Vikings, this draft
• Traded away: Round 5 to Vikings, this draft

The roster's clearest strength is the defensive front and linebacker pairing of Derrick Brown and Devin Lloyd, while WILL linebacker is the weakest spot on the entire team, ranked dead last in positional depth league-wide.

• Chigh

  Luke Fortner starts at center but ranks 27th among starters league-wide, making a significant upgrade at the position a top priority.

• HBhigh

  Chuba Hubbard leads the backfield but the position ranks 27th at the starter level, and there is no proven high-end back behind him.

• LEDGEhigh

  Nic Scourton is the starter but the group ranks 29th among starters and 25th in depth, making left edge a critical rebuild target.

• TEhigh

  Tommy Tremble holds the starting spot but the position ranks 30th at the starter level, leaving a glaring hole in the passing game.

• WILLhigh

  Trevin Wallace starts at WILL but the unit ranks 24th at the starter level and dead last in positional depth league-wide.

• SSmedium

  Nick Scott starts at strong safety but the position ranks 25th among starters, and Scott is entering the late stage of his career.

• LTlow

  Monroe Freeling starts at left tackle and the depth chart ranks first in the league, so this is a low-urgency position despite a middle-of-the-pack starter ranking.

• QBlow

  Bryce Young holds the starting job at 78 overall, a passable ranking that still leaves room for meaningful growth under his Star development trait.

• 74Tershawn WhartonDTTershawn Wharton sits third on the DT depth chart behind Brown and Hunter; cutting him frees $8.0M but leaves $10.6M in dead money, so the financial case depends on how badly that cap room is needed elsewhere.Frees $8.0M · $10.6M dead
• 72Patrick Jones IILEDGEPatrick Jones II is the second edge off the bench at LEDGE and also listed as a depth piece at WILL, but at 72 overall his release frees $6.4M against only $3.7M in dead money, making him a net positive cap cut.Frees $6.4M · $3.7M dead
• 55Feleipe FranksTEFeleipe Franks is buried on the depth chart at 55 overall and contributes nothing meaningful at the position of greatest need; releasing him frees $1.2M with negligible dead money of $50K.Frees $1.2M · $50.0K dead
• 64Stone ForsytheLTStone Forsythe is a 64-overall backup tackle who sits behind three better options on the LT depth chart; cutting him frees $1.2M against $780K in dead money.Frees $1.2M · $780.0K dead
• 64Jake CurhanRGJake Curhan is the third-string right guard at 64 overall behind Hunt and Christensen; his release is clean, freeing $1.1M with zero dead money.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

The Panthers carry real defensive building blocks in Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn, and Devin Lloyd, and Tetairoa McMillan gives Bryce Young a legitimate Superstar receiver to grow with on offense. The problem is that the support structure around those names is thin: the offensive line fluctuates between solid and below average, the tight end and running back positions rank near the bottom of the league, and the WILL linebacker depth is the worst in the league. Taylor Moton, entering the late stage of his career at right tackle, and Damien Lewis, who is no longer young at left guard, give the line a short runway before succession planning becomes urgent. Cap space is limited at $9.8M this season and only modestly better at $14.9M next year, so the rebuild must be selective and patient. Young holds the key: if he develops into a genuine franchise quarterback behind a better-built offensive line and a strengthened skill group, this roster's defensive core gives the team a real floor to work up from.

The Carolina Panthers were awarded to Charlotte businessman and former Baltimore Colts wide receiver Jerry Richardson on October 26, 1993, as the NFL's 29th franchise, the league's first expansion since 1976, and began play in 1995 alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars. They played their inaugural 1995 home slate at Clemson's Memorial Stadium in South Carolina before moving into what is now Bank of America Stadium in 1996. Under first coach Dom Capers they went 7-9 in 1995 and 12-4 in 1996, winning the NFC West and reaching the NFC Championship Game in just their second season. The franchise's defining era arrived under head coach John Fox: two years removed from a 1-15 collapse in 2001, the 2003 Panthers rode a stout defense and QB Jake Delhomme to Super Bowl XXXVIII, a 32-29 last-second loss to the New England Patriots, and returned to the NFC title game in 2005. The second peak came under Ron Rivera, the winningest coach in team history, with three straight NFC South titles (2013-2015) culminating in a franchise-best 15-1 record in 2015, an MVP season for Cam Newton, and a 24-10 Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos. Those two NFC championships remain the high-water marks, Carolina is one of a small group of franchises with multiple Super Bowl appearances and no title. After Rivera's 2019 departure came a long downturn: the Matt Rhule era, David Tepper's 2018 record $2.275 billion ownership purchase, and the 2023 trade up for QB Bryce Young at No. 1. The Dave Canales/GM Dan Morgan tandem, installed in 2024, engineered the 2025 turnaround.