The Carolina Panthers have spent the last few seasons turning around the narrative of the on-field product, culminating in an unlikely NFC South division crown this past season. Off the field, the players have not seen as much growth. While the Panthers overall rank rose from 25th overall in 2025 to 23rd overall in 2026, it is still a bit disheartening to see how the players feel about the team. The NFLPA was not allowed to release the 2026 report cards, but the individual letter grades were, unsurprisingly,
leaked to the media regardless. Though the full descriptions have not yet been leaked so we can’t see the reasons why certain grades may have changed since last season, let’s take a deeper look into each category.
Treatment of Families
The Panthers dropped from a B+ to a B in this category. Last year, players made note of the fact that the Panthers provide daycare during home games and a family room during home games. They also ranked the team at or near the top ten in “post-game family area” and “organizing family events.” While this is still a solid grade, it would be a good look for the team to provide more family support to players to help really cement the positive family-like culture the locker has.
Home Game Field
This was a new category for the 2026 report cards, and the Panthers absolutely bombed it, scoring an F. While they weren’t the worst in the league (shoutout to the Tennessee Titans and their F-), I would love to know the criteria for this category. Notoriously bad playing surfaces like in Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington scored pretty well while many dome stadiums had middling scores. I don’t know if it’s a grass versus turf type of thing, but the Panthers have some work to do regardless.
Food/Dining Area
The Panthers actually improved from a B to a B+ in this category. Last year, players referenced the taste of the food being quite good (10th overall), while the freshness and dining area both ranked in the bottom half of the league. The players praised the Director of Culinary, Tracie Hartman, though. It seems like the team made some improvements since last season, though we don’t know what those specific improvements were.
Nutritionist/Dietician
The Panthers stayed steady here, scoring an A- in both 2025 and 2026. The individualized nutrition plans and accessibility of the nutritionist and dietician were the main reasons for this high score in 2025. That is probably the reason for the sustained success in this category for 2026.
Locker Room
The Panthers saw a pretty steep drop in this category from a C down to D+. Last year, the size of the locker room and individual lockers was in the bottom half of the league, and I can’t imagine how the locker room got even worse. Maybe there aren’t enough showers or toilets or something?
Training Room
The training room saw a slight increase in grade from a B- to a B. Staffing was middle of the pack in 2025 (physical therapists, trainers, etc), while hot tub and cold tub space was near the bottom of the league. This seems like a pretty simple fix, and maybe adding a tub or two is why this grade improved a little.
Training Staff
The training staff also improved a bit, from a B+ to an A-. In 2025, players felt like they received enough 1-on-1 treatment and that the staff contributed to their overall success. This continues the trend of players really liking the actual people working with them while being less thrilled about the physical structures.
Weight Room
One of the few structural aspects that was solid and improved was the weight room, rising from a C+ to a B. Last year, players acknowledged that there were ongoing equipment upgrades, so those upgrades are the likely reason for the grade increase. Still, players believe they are limited by the amount of actual space.
Strength Coaches
The Panthers strength coaches have scored well the last couple of years, getting an A in 2025 and an A- in 2026. The individual strength plans and overall benefit to player performance is the main reason why. I’d be interested to know what caused the slight dip, but they still scored well overall.
Position Coaches
This is another new category for the 2026 report card, and the Panthers scored pretty well with an A-. This is a good sign since the position coaches are the ones spending the most individual time with players working on their craft.
Offensive Coordinator
The coordinators also got their own grades, and the players seem to like new offensive play caller Brad Idzik, giving him an A-. Dave Canales recently said that Idzik is the architect of the entire offense, so the players trusting him is a great sign. We’ll have to wait and see if his play calling helps or hurts his reputation.
Defensive Coordinator
Ejiro Evero got a decent grade of B for his first report card. While we don’t know the specific elements players were asked about, we know for a fact some of the players disagreed with schematic choices, play calls, and snap counts (*cough* Princely Umanmielen *cough*). We’ll see if this improves now that Canales has more time on game days to check in on the defense.
Special Teams Coordinator
Tracy Smith has been with the team for a few years and took over as the Special Teams Coordinator in 2024. For the 2026 report card, players gave him an A-. I, for one, like the fact that the players seem to like and respect their coaches for the most part. That probably improves the culture quite a bit.
Team Travel
The Panthers have been consistently bad in this category, scoring a D in both years. The lack of space on flights and inefficient travel plans are the main reason for this grade. Apparently coaches moved to first class, knocking players back to coach. I can’t even imagine Derrick Brown trying to fit into a standard airplane seat.
Head Coach
Dave Canales has scored an A- back to back seasons for the Panthers. Players feel Canales is efficient with their time and is highly receptive to locker room feedback. This tracks for Canales’ outgoing, player-centric personality. He seems to genuinely care about his players, and they seem to respond well to him.
General Manager
Dan Morgan got his first appearance on the report cards and scored the highest out of every single category. Again, since this is a new category, we don’t know what the criteria was for the poll, but it is very promising to see Dan get his props. I think he’s done a solid job so far and seems to be a really good dude.
Team Ownership
The category you’ve all been waiting for: ownership. David Tepper has gotten his fair share of bad press, and deservedly so. Luckily for him, the players seem to be turning a corner in regards to their opinion of the boss man. Tepper jumped from a D- last year all the way up to a B- this year, by far the largest improvement in any category for the Panthers. Last year, the players felt that Tepper lacked a willingness to invest in the facilities, did not contribute to a positive team culture, and was only somewhat committed to building a winning franchise. Each of those criteria put him at 29th or worse in the NFL last season. I do have to tip my cap to Tepper. He has been much more behind-the-scenes lately, allowing Dan and Brandt and Dave to do their jobs. He seems to be learning how to be a good owner, and that is a great sign for the team moving forward.
Overall Takeaways
It seems like Dave Tepper has really put together a well-liked staff from top to bottom. The players gave rave reviews for the GM, Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, ST Coordinator, and position coaches. They also shouted out the training staff, strength coaches, and nutrition team. The players’ main gripes were about the actual facilities themselves, which is to be somewhat expected considering they work in a stadium that turns 30 years old in August. I don’t know how much renovations can help considering the framework they have to work with, so the team may have to eventually build a new stadium. Oh, and get a grass field, Tepper. Come on, please.
