July 12, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET

Some of the greatest athletes and competitors of all-time thrive thanks to a chip on their shoulder. No matter how accomplished they might become, they stay hungry by continually believing they have something more to prove.

For the Carolina Panthers, there is no shortage of players who have yet to really establish themselves in the NFL—even if they were highly-regarded prospects coming into the pros.

Here are four players who have the most to prove for the Panthers in 2026 . . .

QB Bryce Young

We’ve seen elite flashes from Young several times now going back to midseason in 2024, when he rejoined the starting lineup after getting benched. The only problem is that between those exceptional games, there’s been a whole lot of mediocre play and poor production from the former No. 1 overall pick.

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In his 45 career starts, including the postseason, Young has thrown for at least 250 yards in only eight of them. His career averages of 180.2 passing yards per game and 6.0 yards per attempt will need to increase.

Young is indisputably a strong clutch performer, he just has to get better at early possessions and cutting down on his turnovers. If he can take a big step forward this year, he may finally earn himself a contract worthy of a franchise quarterback.

RB Chuba Hubbard

Hubbard played so well when he was healthy in 2024 that the Panthers gave him a four-year contract extension in the middle of the season. Unfortunately, multiple calf injuries have since hindered his rise.

Last year, some of Hubbard’s explosiveness seemed to have evaporated and his numbers suffered greatly as a result. If he doesn’t get back to his old form, and soon, he will likely lose his starting job to Jonathon Brooks.

WR Xavier Legette

Heading into his third season in the NFL, Legette is now officially in first-round bust territory. He had an up-and-down rookie campaign punctuated by some frustrating mistakes, then his game regressed in a bad way in 2025.

Legette saw his playing time decrease during Carolina’s push for the playoffs. He ended up playing in a career-low 31.4 percent of the offense’s snaps in the huge regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If Legette doesn’t show up to training camp having vastly improved, he could lose his spot in the rotation to 2026 third-round pick Chris Brazzell II.

LB Trevin Wallace

Signing Devin Lloyd gave the Panthers a much-needed boost to the second level of their defense. But the dynamic at this position is a bit like parking a Ferrari under a leaky roof in a garage that’s falling apart.

For now, Wallace projects as Carolina’s other starter next to Lloyd—which puts a big target on his back. His game has more than one problem, such as his growing pains in recognition and run defense. Most of all, Wallace has to improve in coverage—where he’s allowed a career 78.6-percent completion rate and a 107.7 passer rating.

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