Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! Its officially the first week of the NFL season, expectations are high, and anxiety is even higher! Many of the questions that rolled through this week had to do with what the Panthers season looks like if they can’t pull out a win on Sunday, and I think its a fair thought to have. So as a reminder, this is YOUR mailbag to ask all your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely
off topic! ‘Brian Answers” is the place where I answer those questions, so join us next week in “Brian Asks” to throw out your questions, and see them answered in this same column next week. Let’s dive into all your questions from this week’s mailbag!
HighMiles: Where would we be now if we had kept C McC?
I don’t usually like to go down rabbit holes like this, but I’ll bite for fun. I don’t think Carolina makes the trade up to #1 overall for Bryce Young if Christian McCaffrey remains a Panther. Maybe they decide to try and trade up after the first two picks are made (which still would have assuredly been Young and CJ Stroud) to select Anthony Richardson. Or, they just stand pat with Sam Darnold/PJ Walker, maybe sign a free agent again. This would have left them in position to supplement the other positions a bit, giving them the opportunity to take an OT like Darnell Wright or Peter Skoronski. Maybe they go for a defensive front seven piece like Jalen Carter, Lukas Van Ness, or Will McDonald. Or, in my opinion, they go defensive back since their secondary wasn’t exactly a strength going into that season either. I don’t think the trajectory is much different whether they go find a QB or choose to build around a Sam Darnold etc. If this current regime were the ones making the decisions, I might feel things could have gone a lot better. But in the end, I think it was time for CMC to move on since Carolina wasn’t going to be pushing for a Super Bowl regardless of whether they traded him or not.
TLGPanthersFan: Jaguars are such a question mark almost as much as the Panthers but on paper they are the better team. What would you considered a success even if we lose? Who are you watching that isn’t Bryce.
I would consider either a shootout loss or a close defensive battle won by a few big plays a win. In my personal opinion, I think the Jaguars will walk away with a win on Sunday, and the biggest reason will be a couple of big plays by WRs Brian Thomas Jr and Travis Hunter. Explosive plays on offense are one of the biggest deciders of games just behind things like turnovers and time of possession, especially when you have teams like these two who are really trying to establish new overall identities to start the 2025 season. So I think a game where the Panthers look good on offense or defense, where those couple of big plays are the difference, would still be a success, even if they hurt in the moment.
The QB Whisperer: Based on wins, how many games less confident are you without Adam Thielen on the team?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) More than 5
I’d probably go with A, though you didn’t provide the option for less than that. Adam Thielen is a strong veteran presence and someone Bryce Young trusted with the ball, and obviously losing Jalen Coker also doesn’t help arguments for Adam Thielen being traded. But I don’t think Thielen’s presence would have provided more than 2 wins at most as a difference maker on this offense. He’s a 35 year old wide receiver who also missed significant time last season due to injury. I think if the Panthers were going to be successful/average compared to previous seasons, Thielen would be probably reason 3 or 4 as to why they won 2-3 extra games.
KeepPounding88: Personally I feel like our season will be determined by how we perform Week 1. If you agree with that sentiment, how different do you see our season going based on whether we win or lose the first game?
While I do think week 1 will definitely give us an idea of whether to be optimistic or pessimistic of the Panthers chances to be good in 2025, I don’t think winning or losing this particular game will matter so much as how the first 4 games as a whole go for this team. I personally expect the first 2-3 games to look ugly because the team will have so many newer moving parts, and I even thought that before they traded away Adam Thielen and then had to place Jalen Coker on injured/reserve on offense. I think a win in week 1 would matter for their success more than a loss will matter for their downfall overall in the season, if that makes sense. Starting slow would be kind of a predictable outcome, where if they actually come out strong week 1 and win in relatively convincing fashion, I’d be a bit surprised and my optimism would teeter in an upward direction towards being happy with the season as a whole come January of next year.
Revshawn: How will the Two Time National Champion Winner Clemson Tiger Hunter Renfrow’s recent re-addition affect the trajectory of the Carolina Panthers season? Will the good Lord be pleased that the Panthers realized the error of their ways in time and accept the Panthers 1.5 million raise on his contract as indulgence or will he turn over the team to the Devil and allow us to get smoked on Sunday with the intention of a season long roast that ends with everyone getting fired and eternal damnation for Bryce Young? Also, will the presence of so many Gamecock players advance or regress the Panthers hopes? Shall we say a prayer for Xavier Legette’s Stone Hands?
Who?
Also, Xavier Legette is gonna be fine. Just let him cook, no matter what meat he chooses to.
Bruce Guild: How many single season records will Hunter Renfrow own by years end?
How difficult will it be for Mr Renfrow to win Super Bowl MVP since QB’s seem to be always favored?
Can they award “Come Back Player of the Year” to Hunter after the first game?
Still not really sure who you’re talking about.
I think Jalen Coker will be the first player to ever win Comeback Player of the Year in the same year he was injured. Cokeheads unite!
TurfMunster: Wouldn’t it not make sense for the NFL change the game day active rule and allow teams to activate the entire 53 man roster for games?
I think this leaves out a convoluted rule, that many players who aren’t active often get paid less on Sundays. At least, that’s my understanding of how pay works in the NFL. Players who are also injured but not necessarily to the degree of needing to be placed on injured/reserve would be a problem, unless this rule would also intend to activate their entire practice squad for the game as well, but then why have a practice squad? I think the way the active rosters on game day go are just fine, but I’m always down for fine tuning in the name of getting more players paid.
You all can definitely feel free to comment down below with your thoughts on the matter.
Chef: I see a lot of worry that if we come up short vs Jax that our season is essentially over. Am I the only one that believes this line of thinking is absolutely ridiculous? I have my doubts that we’re gonna come out of the gate playing our best, especially with our recent injury situations. I hope we look great and win, but im not gonna go all to hell if we do not. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
I am in agreement that I do not think a loss on Sunday necessarily dictates how the rest of the season goes. However, I do understand many fans impatience with the team after the last 5 seasons of struggles, and the off-season message of trying to be competitive coming straight from the building itself certainly lends an expectation that we should not expect more of the same in 2025. The season wouldn’t be over by any means, but I can understand why the fans would be exasperated by another deflating start to a season.
demaxx1: I have a question what do the Panthers do the Panthers do in 4-6 weeks if Hunter is balling, when Coker gets back on the field?
If a receiver other than Coker from the back end of the depth chart is thriving when he is healthy again, I wouldn’t call it a problem. The NFL passing game these days tends to rely on more than just the top 2-3 wide receivers, and if there’s a guy somewhere on the roster that can excel in the slot with Coker out, I think that just means he gets more opportunity on the outside to help out Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan. Both certainly aren’t at the level just yet where having someone else jump in at times would be a negative in my book. I think if the wide receiver room finds a way to be a strength without Coker, it just means the group as a whole can be even better when he’s healthy again.
positivebob: Which matchups look good for the Panthers Sunday? I think Carolina OL vs the Jags IDL looks good. Keep sending Chuba and Rico between the tackles and good things will happen. I think TMac might get loose deep, too. Evidently, the Jags plan to play a lot of zone. The rookie WR might get behind it. I’m not a Jimmy Horn fan, but this might be a good chance for him. No press man coverage to knock him off his route, maybe he gets loose downfield. Worse matchups? Jax WRs against our secondary, and their TEs and RBs catching passes against Carolina LBs. Should be close, but neither defense looks solid and Jax might have more firepower than Carolina. Who’s got the edge?
Right now the Panthers rushing attack as a whole looks to have a somewhat favorable matchup on Sunday. If Dave Canales sticks to his guns and runs the ball with conviction, that should help out a promising passing attack that will end up relying mostly on young players (who were higher draft picks) and depth veterans in the receiver room. I’m not excited about the Panthers DBs against the Jaguars wide receiver tandem, but I do think the Panthers front seven could have a nice coming out game against the Jaguars offensive line. I don’t necessarily expect domination, but if the group gels quickly and looks more like an average front seven, that would be Miles ahead of what the unit looked like last season.
dayneb12: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is Evero’s last year on his contract with the Panthers. Do you predict he’ll be extended or will the Panthers let him walk?
Per multiple internet searches, it appears Evero is in fact on the last year of his contract with the Panthers. He reportedly signed a 3 year contract in 2023, so he would technically be a free agent next Offseason. I don’t know if it will be a make or break year for him, but Carolina won’t necessarily have to create a news story out of letting him go if it doesn’t work out. I do think he’ll be back in 2026 unless he’s gunning for a head coaching job, however. He seems to have a ton of autonomy here in Carolina and he’d be continuing to build on a group he’s had his hands on for the last three offseasons.
SnarkyComet: What happened to Eddy Piñeiro? Like I know we let him walk and become a free agent, but why isn’t he on another team? For a few weeks last year he was the NFL’s all-time field goal percentage leader. He fell a bit, but is currently listed as #3. Are there seriously 32 kickers better than him right now?
I think Pineiro’s going to find a job again as a kicker in the league, unfortunately between a tumultuous injury history and likely having a higher asking price than the Matthew Wright’s of the league, he’s probably waiting on a playoff hopeful team to see an injury/the yips from a kicker and want to bring in a guy with some consistency. Eddy was never the best distance kicker, but he was pretty accurate on the kicks from less than 50 yards. I’m sure he’s not in a rush to sign anywhere either.
