Much of that success can be attributed to Canales and quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft after the franchise traded up to get him.
Young’s travails as a rookie and at the dawn of the 2024 season cast plenty of doubt as to whether Carolina struck out in its pursuits of the club’s first bona fide franchise QB since Cam Newton.
The 24-year-old is changing that narrative as the Panthers are fighting for the team’s first NFC South title since 2015 when Carolina went to Super Bowl 50.
Young has completed a career-high 63.4% of his passes for a career-best 18 touchdowns so far, along with 2,337 yards.
He’s proven to be clutch on more than one occasion, including a Week 13 shocker when the Panthers defeated the NFC’s top-seeded Los Angeles Rams, 31-28. It was the sixth one-possession victory of the season so far for the Panthers.
The owner has seen nine quarterbacks, including Young, make starts since he became owner and is on his fourth full-time head coach in Canales. It looks like he might have finally found the right combination.
With two massive matchups remaining against the Buccaneers that will likely decide the division, the final stretch of the 2025 campaign might well dictate just how promising a season this is for the franchise.
So far, though, there’s been ample reason for optimism from Tepper.
“It’s not that shabby,” Tepper said of the season through 13 games.