CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As seismic waves continue to ripple throughout the NFL barely a week after the end of the regular season — the strongest of which are emanating from the Rust Belt cities in the AFC North — things are relatively calm in the Carolinas.

The Carolina Panthers haven’t reached the pinnacle yet, but they feel like they’re on the way. They ended a seven-year playoff drought, won their first division title in 10 years and took the Los Angeles Rams to the wire before falling by a field goal to Matthew Stafford in the wild-card round.

And while nearly a third of NFL teams are conducting head-coaching searches, the Panthers like the direction they’re headed following two seasons with the uber-positive Dave Canales at the helm.

“He’s just done a great job of really shifting the culture and making this culture a winning culture. We’re expecting to win now,” general manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday. “We’re not coming into a season unsure. We feel like we know where we are. We feel like we know who we are and we’re just ready to get to work.”

Morgan has experienced highs and lows with the Panthers as a player and a front-office member. But he’d never experienced a crowd like the one of 73,000-plus that rocked Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night, even during the playoff win over Dallas that helped propel the 2003 team to the Super Bowl.

Now Morgan wants more.

“It’s definitely what I envisioned when I took this job,” he said. “But I see even bigger things moving forward to where this is gonna be a consistent thing and not just a flash in the pan.”

Panthers GM Dan Morgan said Tuesday that the team is picking up the fifth-year option on QB Bryce Young. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

Five thoughts following Morgan’s end-of-season news conference:

1. Something we don’t talk about enough with Young

The decision to pick up Bryce Young’s fifth-year option was a no-brainer, based on his improvement, the cost-controlled contract and history. Since 2011, when the fifth-year option was introduced in a new CBA, the previous eight quarterbacks drafted first all had their fifth-year options exercised.

Since I addressed what’s next contract-wise for Young on Tuesday, let’s look at something else Morgan said when asked about Young’s right ankle, which sidelined him for the Buffalo Bills’ game and required a heavy tape job for other games after he rolled it several times.

“He’s the type of guy, he’s never gonna complain. He’s gonna go out there, he’s gonna practice. He’s gonna push through and that’s what you really respect about Bryce,” Morgan said. “He’s a tough dude. He’s a really tough dude. And if his ankle was bothering him, he sure enough didn’t tell me, didn’t tell Coach. He just went out there and played.”

Before the 2023 draft, a lot was written and said about whether the 5-foot-10 Young would be durable enough to hold up physically at the next level. Well, he’s missed two games due to injury in three seasons, and one of those (at Seattle in 2023) was as much about a quick reset as anything ankle-related.

2. New QB2?

Morgan joked that 30-somethings J.J. Jansen (who turns 40 next week), Sam Martin, and Andy Dalton are weighing down the average age of the roster. He also said they can all still play. Jansen and Martin are both free agents, and I expect Morgan to bring the two specialists back.

But it’s time to start developing a younger QB behind Young. The 38-year-old Dalton, who has one year left on his deal, has been a terrific mentor for Young and is well-liked throughout the organization. Canales loves the vibe of the QB room, where Mike White ended the year as QB3.

Still, there’s value in adding a young guy to the mix, in terms of improving depth behind Young and/or developing a possible trade piece for down the road. Malik Willis would be a great addition, but the 26-year-old likely will have opportunities to start after a couple of eye-opening performances for the Packers.

But Morgan sounded open to finding someone like Willis. “I think we want to add competition to every room. Quarterback’s no different,” he said. “So that could be something that we do this offseason.”

3. Uncle Rico’s future

Running back Rico Dowdle on Sunday sounded like someone ready to bolt from BoA Stadium and never look back, telling reporters he wanted to go to a team where he’d get the bulk of the carries after sharing them with Chuba Hubbard in Charlotte.

Dowdle apparently was more diplomatic during his exit meeting with Morgan, who said he had a good conversation with the 1,000-yard rusher and pending free agent. “He didn’t give me any indication of that. I thought we left on a good note,” Morgan said. “We’ll see where it goes from here.”

Rico Dowdle says his decreased carries at the end of the season will impact his thinking in free agency. Says he wants to go somewhere where he can get bulk of the carries. pic.twitter.com/48v2892fZS

— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 11, 2026

With Hubbard entrenched in the backfield, Dowdle will test the market and try to land the multiyear deal that never materialized last year. If Dowdle doesn’t find any deals to his liking, the Panthers would bring him back at the right price. But considering Dowdle has already removed the Panthers from his social media bios, such a reunion seems unlikely.

4. In defense of Evero

Morgan, a Panthers linebacker for seven seasons who holds the Super Bowl record for tackles in a game, has a strong defensive background. As such, Morgan was asked whether he thought defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was too soft during the Rams’ game-winning drive Saturday.

“I trust E.J. and the defense he puts out there. I’m never gonna question what he does,” Morgan said. “I know he has a plan. Same way I have a plan for attacking free agency, attacking the draft, he trusts me. I trust him. And that’s what we have around here. We all trust each other to do our jobs.”

With the Panthers’ leading by 4, the Rams took over at their 29 with all their timeouts and 2:34 remaining. Evero brought linebacker Christian Rozeboom as an extra rusher on three of the seven plays, but the rush never threatened Stafford (whose first pass was tipped by A’Shawn Robinson and caught by Puka Nacua).

The Panthers’ pass rushers looked tired as the Rams went up-tempo. And while Canales was saving his timeouts for offense, it might have been worth using one of the three to give the defense a breather and get fresh legs in the game.

With Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn out with a concussion and the Rams needing a touchdown, Evero had his defensive backs in off-coverage to try to prevent an explosive play.

While some in the organization have wondered whether an aggressive approach would have been better — a quick-strike TD might have left Young more time — Morgan expressed his faith in Evero, whose contract quietly was extended last year and now runs through the 2027 season.

“If you’re around him every day, you see the way he works, how smart he is, I believe in his defense. I believe in his philosophy. He’s really good at developing players,” he said. “It’s my job as well to equip him with the right personnel. … I think as you see us keep adding talent onto our roster, players on our roster developing, I think you’ll see that defense keep ascending.”

5. That 2024 draft class is struggling

The Panthers’ 2025 draft class should include the Offensive Rookie of the Year in Tetairoa McMillan, to go along with two starters (McMillan and Nic Scourton), four situational players (Princely Umanmielen, Lathan Ransom, Mitchell Evans and Jimmy Horn), the team’s No. 1 return specialist (Trevor Etienne) and a developmental player (Cam Jackson).

Meanwhile, the ’24 class could have some big misses at the top. With Jalen Coker surpassing Xavier Legette as WR2, it’s fair to wonder whether the Panthers should look to trade Legette and give the 32nd pick from South Carolina a chance to start over elsewhere.

There are questions surrounding second-round pick Jonathon Brooks as the former Texas running back continues his recovery from a second ACL surgery, and third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace, who was struggling before undergoing shoulder surgery in December.

Brooks recently got up to 21 mph on the team’s GPS system, and Morgan said he’s looked good running. Still, the Panthers don’t really know what they’ll get from a back who’s played in three games in two seasons.

As for Legette and Wallace, Morgan is preaching patience.

“We’re all so quick to judge these guys. And maybe they’re not developing as quick as the outside wants. But I think you’ve gotta be patient with these guys. I think you’ve gotta let ’em develop, you’ve gotta let ’em grow,” he said.

“Trevin’s still 22 years old. Xavier, it took him till his senior year to really start developing and coming into his own at South Carolina. So I think we take a patient approach with those guys.”