This weekend marks the debut of the Carolina Panthers under first-year head coach Dave Canales and his reimagined roster. Many new pieces were added this season as the team works to build around its potential franchise quarterback, Bryce Young.
And with the team about to kick off their campaign in New Orleans on Sunday, maybe it’s time for some bold predictions!
So whether you think these forecasts are within reasonable range or just plain ol’ crazy, let’s have some fun . . .
Jadeveon Clowney sets new career-high in sacks
Never, in a decade’s worth of play in the NFL, has this hometown hero tallied more than 9.5 sacks in a single season. He reached that mark twice—first with the Houston Texans in 2017, and then with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
This year, Clowney joins the Panthers looking to help them to their first playoff berth in seven years. He’s known for being one of the best edge-setting defenders in the league while being an adequate pass rusher for most of his career.
However, the 2014 No. 1 overall selection has never lived up to the expectations he was given coming into the league as a true pass rusher. This year, that changes.
Clowney had one of the most dominant summers of any Panthers defender over the last few years and looks primed for a big campaign. I believe he is aging like fine wine and is getting better as the years add up.
This year, Clowney gets 10.5 sacks for a defense that is desperate for pass-rush production.
Four rookies start by Week 18
This prediction is already off to a great start.
The Panthers announced on Friday that incumbent starters Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) and Ian Thomas (calf) would be out Week 1—paving the way for fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders to start in his first career game. Canales said Friday that Sanders has already been working with the first-team offense, which could give him an advantage down the stretch.
First-round wide receiver Xavier Legette, second-round running back Jonathon Brooks, third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace, Sanders and fifth-round cornerback Chau Smith-Wade are candidates to receive plenty of snaps as the season goes along. There is a strong chance that four of these five draft choices are starting by the end of the year, especially with general manager Dan Morgan looking for some “dawgs” to move forward with.
If I were to choose the players that are starting for Carolina as rookies by the end of the season, my picks are Legette at the outside Z, Brooks in the backfield, Sanders becoming Young’s go-to security blanket and Smith-Wade at the nickel.
Given the roles of veteran linebackers Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell, I don’t see Wallace as an established starter by Week 18. It’s hard to imagine he unseats either of them in 2024.
Panthers finish top-10 in rushing yards
Canales is a coach who will want to run the football, and even stressed it himself. This is a unit that is likely to be a run-first offense that opens up the passing game for Young and his group of playmakers.
This spells good news for Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Brooks—once he returns to the field. All three bring a different aspect to the Panthers’ ground game that will force defenses to adjust accordingly.
Hubbard is a one-cut, downhill runner who will add a second effort to get that one extra yard when being tackled. Despite his inconsistencies and struggles last season, Sanders will add value as a change-of-pace back who possesses a receiving skill set and slashing play style. Brooks is the most explosive of the three, adding a third-down ability in pass protection and as a receiver.
This trio will be the reason why the Panthers break the 2,000-yard mark as a team, thanks to their efforts and Canales’ likely stubbornness toward the run game.
