Carolina's Stock Is Trending Upwards

Carolina Comeback

It is hard to be as bad as the Carolina Panthers were last season, finishing up with a 2-15 record, but still not being able to draft at No. 1 overall. Their trade with the Chicago Bears the previous year, giving away their first-round selection this past year to move up and select QB Bryce Young at No. 1 in 2023, cost them their pick. However, the Panthers have made several changes over the offseason that I think can really help them become a respectable team again.

First off, they fired head coach Frank Reich, who was a washed-up has-been who never one time proved he could be successful when he didn't have guys like Nick Sirriani and Jonathan Gannon around him. I am much more bullish on new head coach Dave Canales, who has proven multiple times that he can help struggling quarterbacks find themselves. He was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, where he helped Baker Mayfield look like the guy who showed promise with the Browns early in his career. In 2022, he was responsible for helping long-time journeyman QB Geno Smith find success and have a career season. It's also worth noting that Smith was not the same QB last season, taking statistical dips almost across the board after Canales left.

Secondly, they sent GM Scott Fitterer packing, which was a massive win for the organization in my opinion. He was the one who got them into the position they are in, making a plethora of terrible decisions, and he needed to go. New GM Dan Morgan has clearly made it a point to try and support his young QB, trading for WR Dionte Johnson and drafting former South Carolina receiver Xavier Leggette at No. 32 overall. He spent a majority of his draft picks on offense, as he should with how awful they were last year averaging 13.9 points per game. He has already shown more of an awareness of his situation than Fitterer ever did, which is encouraging.

Odds Changes Favor The Panthers

Some people already saw that the Panthers were set up for more success this season, and the odds have moved as a result. Carolina's win total was 4.5 when it opened, and that has already moved to 5.5 wins, showing that money was flying in on the over. I didn't even mention that they were 2-6 in one-score games last year, and some positive regression is due for them this season with a very easy schedule that you would expect for a last-place team.

Their odds to win the NFC South also have increased quite a bit. They opened the season at 15/1 odds, but now are sitting at around 11/1 to win the division. There really isn't a team in the division that is any sort of guarantee, with the Bucs, Falcons, and Saints all having large question marks. Canales' Bucs were +700 to win the division last season, the longest odds to open the season, and they won it. He is no stranger to the situation he finds himself in, and honestly, it reminds me a LOT of what he had in Tampa last year.