Carolina Panthers

With only $11.5M in room ranked 29th in the league and $24.6M in dead money already on the books, Carolina's cap is one of the tightest in the NFL and leaves almost no margin for in-season additions.

26 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Five starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

With 8 picks in the upcoming draft including 3 first-rounders and a three-year haul of 22 picks, the Panthers have one of the richer stockpiles in the league to address their needs and reload depth.

• 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 top strength is its defensive front and linebacker corps anchored by a 96 overall Derrick Brown and an 88 overall Devin Lloyd, while the right edge is the weakest spot on the entire team, ranked dead last among 32 starters league-wide.

• REDGEhigh

  The starting right edge is ranked 32nd of 32 starters league-wide, with Nic Scourton (75 overall) opening the season as the starter and Patrick Jones II (72 overall) backing him up, making pass-rush upgrades the single most urgent priority on the roster.

• SShigh

  Nick Scott (75 overall) starts at strong safety but ranks 27th of 32 at the position, and at 31 years old he is entering the late stage of his career with Lathan Ransom (70 overall) as the primary backup.

• Cmedium

  Luke Fortner (71 overall) starts at center and ranks 25th of 32 starters, representing a meaningful interior line weakness despite adequate depth behind him.

• HBlow

  Chuba Hubbard (83 overall) is a capable starter, but the position ranks 21st overall in starter quality, and depth behind him thins quickly with Jonathon Brooks (76 overall) and Trevor Etienne (71 overall).

• 74Tershawn WhartonDTTershawn Wharton is the third DT on the depth chart behind Brown and Lee Hunter, and cutting him frees $8.0M in cap space against $10.6M in dead money, a decision that makes most sense if the freed room is applied toward addressing the right edge need.Frees $8.0M · $10.6M dead
• 55Feleipe FranksTEFeleipe Franks sits at the bottom of the tight end depth chart at 55 overall, and releasing him frees $1.2M against just $50K in dead money, making it a nearly cost-free roster cleanup.Frees $1.2M · $50.0K dead
• 64Stone ForsytheLTStone Forsythe is the third-string left tackle at 64 overall behind Rasheed Walker and Ikem Ekwonu, and his release frees $1.2M against $780K in dead money, freeing a roster spot for a more impactful depth piece.Frees $1.2M · $780.0K dead

The Panthers are built around a genuinely exciting defensive core headlined by Derrick Brown (96 overall) at defensive tackle, Jaycee Horn (87 overall) at cornerback, and Devin Lloyd (88 overall) at linebacker, giving the franchise a legitimate foundation to compete. On offense, the arrival of Tetairoa McMillan as a 23-year-old Superstar receiver gives Bryce Young a true number-one target, and the offensive line has quality pieces in Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt along the interior. The quarterback situation is the central question: Bryce Young is 25 with Star development and the tools to grow, but he has not yet demonstrated he can carry an offense. Taylor Moton has been a reliable right tackle but is entering the late stage of his career, and succession planning at that spot is a near-term priority. Darren Waller's role at tight end also bears watching as he is among the older players at his position. The right edge is the most glaring hole on the roster, and the cap room, ranked 29th in the league at $11.5M, limits what the team can acquire in free agency. With 8 picks in the upcoming draft including 3 first-rounders and a three-year haul of 22 picks, the Panthers have real resources to rebuild depth and address needs, making the next two to three seasons a pivotal development window.

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.