Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! You all came in spades with a variety of questions this week, and I think the fanbase as a whole is a buzz
with the possibility of actually playing meaningful football in late November/early December. We’ll see how long that lasts, but I am delighted with the participation week to week as we unwrap what exactly this team is. Let’s dive into your questions from this week!
TLGPanthersFan: Panters Gahnta Super Bowl?
I’m not betting on it right now, but the Panthers are certainly in play for a wild card spot. And as the saying goes, once you make the dance, all bets are off. The Panthers certainly have the offensive strength and strategy to win cold playoff games in January. Of course, that assumes they’ll have any offensive linemen left standing by then.
Pantherblueblood: Will Rico, “No Time to Dowdle” be signed to long a term contract before next season?
I don’t expect Carolina to be tending an extension at all during the season to Rico Dowdle. I think they’ll sort that out in the off-season. I also think, like many fellow CSR commenters, paying a running back long term deal money isn’t the best business. That’s not to say Rico hasn’t earned the money and stability of a multi-year deal, but I don’t necessarily see that happening until we see exactly how far this team gets in 2025, and how much Rico Dowdle has to do with it going forward.
schrodingersblackcat: Brian, how do you sort out our RB room this off season? Assuming we don’t trade either Chuba or Rico by 4pm today, what does our backfield look like going into 2026?
If we’re headed into another Double Trouble scenario, will Tilis’ contract wizardry be enough to keep us from sinking the franchise into cap purgatory over the RB position all over again? What about the other RBs on the roster?
Or, more directly: Does it make sense to pay two veteran RBs, and why is the answer no?
Spoiler: the Panthers did not trade either of their running backs this week. Rico Dowdle is on a one year cheap contract, while Chuba Hubbard can be dealt or released following this season for salary cap savings. Over the last two years, the Panthers have paid out about a 3rd of Chuba’s contract via the signing bonus and base salary already paid (per Spotrac), so they aren’t married to him if they don’t want to be.
Personally, I think in the offseason you make a decision between Rico and Chuba, and run with it. Trevor Etienne has showed ability as part of the rotation, Jonathan Brooks is theoretically going to be back in 2026, and the Panthers always have the option to sign a veteran or simply draft another RB next Offseason. I don’t think I would like them running with both Rico and Chuba going into next season on long term deals. But there’s always a chance they could, and it’ll be fascinating to see how they work that out from a cap standpoint. But my money is on that one of them is gone next season.
storybook: do you think there’s something in the Panthers’ soul or genetic code that requires them to always have a ground and pound offense? Historically, when Carolina has found success it has seemingly been in part because they’ve leaned on a dominant run game. Do you think the Panthers should just embrace this identity for forever or should they push to eventually become a high flying lucha libre offense?
While the Panthers historically have done their best with a power rushing attack, I think this particular iteration of the Panthers offense has more to do with getting ahead of trends/regressing to the mean more so than a franchise identity. It also helps the cause that Bryce Young has not yet shown he can carry an offense and throw the ball 35-40 times a game and lead an effective scoring unit. The NFL tends to swing from one fad to another, and over the last few seasons the trend usually was throwing the ball first, and using the rushing attack to supplement. There were and are always outliers, but most teams built themselves around the pass. Now, teams that run the ball well, especially between the tackles, are seeing a lot of success as most defenses are built around DEFENDING the pass and getting pressure on the quarterback. So I think what’s going on now is the Panthers built their strength around the rushing attack, since they really didn’t have a choice based on their quarterback and because going this path was the fastest way to finding success in the short term. I personally think the NFL as a whole will start to get back to running the ball more (and it already seems like it has) just based on the injuries happening at quarterback and constantly trying to stay ahead of trends.
WanderingGnome: Brian, do you bless A’shawn’s heart for tryna catch up with Nick Scott after that fumble recovery?
Nick Scott is the heart and soul of this defense. The rest of the defense can learn a thing or two from the uncrowned captain.
KeepPounding88: How do I avoid this sense of fear/dread the the more we win, the more it increases the chances of us giving Bryce an extension, even though we’re clearly winning in spite of rather than because of him?
I haven’t really seen any indication this coaching staff is planning on giving Bryce Young a giant extension. They haven’t really game planned around Bryce being the focal point, and with the flexibility of the 5th year option, this isn’t really a decision they have to make in the 2026 Offseason. Now if the Panthers make the playoffs and make any kind of run, this conversation might be different a few months from now. But I don’t think this is something to be feared right now, wait until the conclusion of the season.
Chef: Is Ekwonu moving into elite LT territory and would you consider him in the same echelon as Brown/Horn as what we would consider untouchable pillars of the organization?
Ikem Ekwonu is someone I wouldn’t even blink about if the Panthers give him an extension in 2026. Between the dearth of talent at tackle across the board in the NFL, and continued solid performances at left tackle, he should stick around for a long time. I would raise my eye brows if the Panthers got away from being more rushing focused, but as of right now he’s a perfect fit for what this offense wants to do, and I would put him in the same territory with Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn as far as importance at this juncture.
bullettooftony: Brian, what nickname do you suggest for Dave? As in going for it on 4th a lot. Rawn had Riverboat. Dave needs one also.
Candid Canales. We don’t always like what he says, but when he’s talking after the game and talking about the players, I don’t find him disingenuous at all. And the players have bought the message he’s selling.
Ariseheart: Does Carolina make an offer to re-up Ejiro Evero assuming he wants to stay? This defense has already surprised almost everyone this season and it feels like it could be a few players away from being elite.
Ejiro Evero has come up a lot on this column for the last year and a half, and for understandable reasons. But based on this year’s track record, especially after adding some talent like Tre’Von Moehrig where he can really deploy them in interesting ways, I see no reason not to bring him back in 2026 unless he goes and signs a head coaching contract. The Panthers defense hasn’t been outstanding every week, but he’s definitely milking everything he can from the talent he’s got available, and has outcoached several well managed offenses.
@WTMealey: In your opinion when BY throws for less than 200 yds(I know each game is different) but how much is BY being limited by his ability and how much is he being limited by Canales play calling?
Give me percents 50/50 or…
If you want to throw in a 3rd factor I would love to hear that as well
The play calling seems to definitely not call for Bryce Young to “do too much” at this point, and that’s fine. Bryce Young is doing well as a game manager, and this offense is definitely built around running the football. I know Bryce Young’s physical talent is limited, but I think the offensive game plan is just based around what the Panthers think they can win with week to week, and most weeks that they DO win its because they controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock by running the football. I’m sure Dave COULD open the passing game up more, but until the things that work right now stop working, why change it? I’m not going to assign percentages though because I know part of it is just that Bryce isn’t the kind of quarterback you want throwing 40 passes a game.
That’s all for this week Panthers fans! Enjoy this weekend’s game against the Saints, and KEEP POUNDING!
