What’s your opinion of why, what , or who? Is keeping Bryce from being the player we all seen at Bama.
— #TheOriginalCanawupas (@canawupass) November 12, 2025
Instead of putting fans at ease by taking care of business in Week 10, the Carolina Panthers raised concerns. They looked alarmingly flat, falling to the 1-8 New Orleans Saints in a disappointing 17-7 loss at home.
Their underwhelming outing has fans questioning the current state of the team, and if big changes—particularly at one very important position—are coming in the future.
Let’s dig into some of those inquiries in this week’s mailbag . . .
What is going on with Bryce Young?
There is no singular reason as to why Young hasn’t performed to expectations this season, especially when it comes to going deep.
One factor may be a lack of trust with his playmakers. Wideout Tetairoa McMillan, although productive, hasn’t had the surest hands throughout his rookie campaign. Something similar could be said for fellow first-round receiver Xavier Legette, who has struggled to gain any type of footing in 2025.
A potential fix could be a changing of roles for the top three pass catchers on the roster—with McMillan as the ‘Y,’ Legette as the ‘X,’ and Coker as the ‘Z.’ McMillan has his highest EPA (expected points added) from the slot, Legette has shown he can win off the split and Coker can take advantage of one-on-one opportunities on the outside.
Does this fix everything? No.
But something has to change, and perhaps some slight adjustments could go a long way.
Black Friday shopping
With it never hurting to get a head start on the holiday season, what should the Panthers be asking from Santa this year?
— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) November 11, 2025
The last few weeks have shed a light on the roster’s true weaknesses.
Both sides of the ball feature at least one key need that must be addressed this offseason. So if I’m making a holiday list for the Panthers, here’s how it would look . . .
Playmaking, athletic tight end to allow for more seam and middle field shots for the quarterback to feel comfortable with.Rangy, disciplined insider linebacker who can make an impact on all three downs.A vertical plane-winning, run-after-catch playmaker for 2026.Competing for a spot in the postseason in December, making progress in Year 2 under head coach Dave Canales.
All of this seems simple to me. Everything else will eventually work itself out, especially the quarterback play.
What the 2026 QB room looks like
What will the QB room look like next season? – sweetcheeks9296.bsky.social
Despite what critics may say, Young should be the starting quarterback in 2026—unless he has a pitiful remainder of the season. With 15th-year veteran Andy Dalton possibly at the end of the line, the search for a backup quarterback will be on. The expectation should be either a veteran signal-caller or younger, developmental arm.
Could someone like Trey Lance be a possibility to back up Young? Absolutely.
A little competition wouldn’t be farfetched. This doesn’t suggest that Young is at Lance’s level, but a push of sorts could help motivate him.
Zach Wilson, Malik Willis, Sam Howell and Gardner Minshew could be potential free-agent possibilities as well this offseason.
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