Projecting roles for Bryce Young-led Carolina Panthers 2023 draft class in Year 2
The Carolina Panthers are all about positive energy these days under first-year head coach Dave Canales. And the brass on Mint Street is hoping for a big step in the right direction from last year’s draft class, which is led by second-year quarterback Bryce Young.
Last season, the 2023 draft class offered abysmal returns as Carolina imploded to a 2-15 finish. But to be fair to that group, very few players stood out — in a positive way, at least — last season during the short-lived Frank Reich era. So, with a new coaching staff in place on offense, and a returning group coaching up the relatively solid defense, there is some hope around Bank of America Stadium that last year’s rookies can become noteworthy contributors this year.
With Young set to lead the offense, the rest of the group will look to carve out roles to salvage their respective outlooks in Carolina. The group is being overseen by fresh eyes, so the collective scholarship runs have likely run dry rather quickly.
Canales has often said that he wants to push the incumbent roster to compete and get better. Following an offseason of wheeling and dealing by first-year general manager Dan Morgan, most of the 2023 draft class is in for summer competition.
Bryce Young
Role: Starting QB
Throughout last season, Young struggled with difficult growing pains and an inadequate offense — both in collective talent and strategy. Last year’s first overall pick was the victim of an ugly supporting cast and an offensive coaching staff that never felt like it was totally on the same page. Young had his quirks, too, but the mess on offense felt more like a reflection of the ecosystem around the young quarterback as opposed to the inexperienced signal-caller bringing the ship down.
This year, Young has a clean slate after a disappointing rookie season. The bar for his improvement is quite low after the Panthers ranked last in total offense and Young tossed just 11 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions. So, with his job already solidified, Young needs to lean on Canales to develop into the quarterback that the Panthers thought he could become.
Young has a significantly better supporting cast with Adam Thielen returning to the mix, and Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette — in theory — upgrading the spots once held by DJ Chark and Jonathan Mingo (more on him later).
The Panthers also feel like they’ve upgraded the offensive line by signing Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt to take over the guard spots. They’ll also be a bit more athletic at center with Austin Corbett moving inside to replace Bradley Bozeman.
There’s also the run-first mindset that Canales brings to the table — which should be aided by a quartet of backs with notable names: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Rashaad Penny and second-round pick Jonathon Brooks. Canales has repeatedly said that the staff believes running the ball will open up the Panthers’ passing game.
Overall, Young has a significantly better setup on paper than he did last year. He knows what to expect from training camp and the regular season, and he has quite a few more reliable weapons to toss the rock to this year.
Jonathan Mingo
Role: Competing for starter snaps/primary backup wideout
Mingo was thrust — probably unfairly — into a starting role last season. He predictably faltered as he caught just 43 of 85 targets (50.6%) for 418 receiving yards in 15 starts. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound receiver was also held out of the end zone as a rookie, as he failed to consistently break free from coverage and assert himself as a jump-ball threat.
So, the Panthers’ solution to upgrading over Mingo was to take Legette in the first round of April’s draft. Legette comes to the Panthers with the reputation of being a relatively consistent deep threat with reliable jump-ball skills and hands. With the former South Carolina Gamecock in the mix, Mingo is going to be forced to compete for a starting job against a Day 1 pick in training camp.
The odds are heavily in Legette’s favor, as he fits the prototypical “X” position within most offenses. The trade for Johnson also hurts Mingo’s chances of being a Week 1 starter, as the veteran is a proven talent with top-level route-running ability.
Mingo is likely to be positioned as the main backup wideout this offseason. While he has the second-round pedigree, he’s still going to need to fend off the likes of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore and others to be the first wideout off the bench.
Mingo is talented despite his lowly returns from a year ago. If Canales and his staff can further develop him, Mingo could become a dependable cog in the passing game.
D.J. Johnson
Role: Depth edge rusher
The Panthers desperately traded up for Johnson in the third round of last year’s draft. While he was an afterthought throughout most of last season, injuries eventually helped the edge rusher get onto the field.
Johnson had his moments as a run defender but ultimately was outperformed by Amare Barno and fellow rookie Eku Leota as a pass rusher. And with the Panthers bringing in Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum in during free agency, Johnson will need to fight to become a fixture of the rotation in Year 2.
Johnson will likely be an early down package player, as he has yet to show much in the way of pass rushing. If he can embrace that role and make some plays early in camp and the preseason, perhaps Johnson can turn the narrative around on his Day 2 selection from last year.
Chandler Zavala
Role: Competing for backup interior line job
Zavala had about as an unlucky of a rookie season as one could have this past season. He was part of the brutal turnstile at both guard spots and sustained a pair of notable injuries during his first NFL campaign.
When Zavala was healthy, he struggled mightily in pass protection, which led to his benching in the middle of the year. A scary neck injury also forced him to the sideline.
Now, with Lewis and Hunt on board, Zavala’s chances of starting over the next few years are slim. He will need to compete with former starter Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Nash Jensen and others for an interior depth spot.
The odds aren’t great for last year’s fourth-round pick.
Jammie Robinson
Role: Competing for backup safety job/special teams contributor
Robinson performed well on special teams during his rookie year. While he wasn’t prominently featured in the secondary early on in his rookie campaign, Robinson carved out a niche as an occasional sub-package defender.
Robinson has the ability to play safety and nickel corner, and his special teams prowess should help him in securing a job. He will be tested for playing time by veterans Sam Franklin and Nick Scott behind Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller.
If Robinson can impress new special teams coordinator Tracy Smith, he should stick around with some sort of role in Year 2.
