The Carolina Panthers had arguably the busiest offseason of any team and for good reason as their 2023 NFL season was a disaster.
The Panthers finished the year with a dismal 2-15 record despite taking Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Making matters worse is the fact that Carolina’s first-round pick went to the Chicago Bears, who ended up taking Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, Carolina did well to move on and improve the roster and they invested heavily in their offensive line and wide receiver room to give Young a better chance of succeeding on the field.
The Panthers also hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales to be their new head coach and develop Young and the rest of the offense.
Despite all the changes, though, the analytics aren’t too optimistic about Carolina’s prospects in 2024 as they’re predicted to have another last-place finish by ESPN’s FPI rankings, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.
ESPN’s new FPI rankings: #Jets are seventh in the AFC. pic.twitter.com/b7AUS7u5gb
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 30, 2024
The Football Power Index is a metric used to predict a team’s performance throughout the season using variables such as previous results and strength of schedule.
As things stand, the Panthers do face an uphill climb given what other teams around them did to bolster their own rosters.
However, FPI isn’t the end all be all when it comes to team success and Carolina could certainly shock the league if things come together quickly for them.
Young will be the driving force in any success the team has, but he’ll need the rest of the roster behind him to play well to give the Panthers a fighting chance during the regular season.
NEXT: Dave Canales Reveals Why Panthers Will Have Joint Practice With Jets
