Latest news with #Carolina
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview: Crunch time for Bryce Young
Panthers head coach Dave Canales had one job as Carolina's head coach in 2024: Fix Bryce Young. He made the decision to bench the former No. 1 overall pick by Week 3, seemingly sealing the fate of the Bama passer. Young eventually returned to the lineup after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury, giving him a second lease on life as the starter. Young's time on the bench served him well and he finally started to turn the corner at the end of the year, giving Panthers fans hope for the 2025 season. 2024 Carolina Panthers Stats (Rank) Points per game: 20.1 (23rd) Total yards per game: 298 (29th) Plays per game: 58.4 (31st) Dropbacks per game: 39.2 (17th) Dropback EPA per play: -0.04 (26th) Rush attempts per game: 24.1 (27th) Rush EPA per play: -0.04 (11th) Bryce Young gets on track Young was a disaster out of the gates in 2023. He ranked 22nd in completion percent over expected and 29th in EPA per play among 30 qualified quarterbacks. Frank Reich was fired midseason and the Panthers landed the first overall pick… which was in the hands of Chicago via Carolina's trade up for Young. The meltdown continued into the 2024 season and Young was benched after two games. Canales was put in an impossible situation, choosing between losing the locker room with more dreadful Young starts or cutting bait on the player he was tasked with fixing. He went with the former, granting Andy Dalton five starts before he injured his thumb in a car accident. Young came back better than ever, went 4-6 to close out the year, and took both Super Bowl participants to the brink with one-score losses to Kansas City and Philadelphia. While the Panthers didn't solve all of their problems on offense, Young and Canales made herculean strides by the end of the season. The same can't be said for DC Ejiro Evero's defense. Carolina ranked dead last in EPA per play allowed. They ranked 32nd against the run and 31st against the pass. Evero was a rising star in the coaching ranks and Canales chose to retain him from Reich's staff after the latter was canned. To Evero's defense, the Panthers didn't spend one of their first two picks on defense for three consecutive drafts before this year. Their investments in free agency have also been focused on offense, leaving the cupboard bare for Evero. Still, if his side of the ball doesn't improve in 2025, he will be looking for work elsewhere next offseason. Passing Game QB: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker WR: Adam Thielen, Hunter Renfrow WR: Xavier Legette, David Moore TE: J'Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble Young's late-season resurgence was the story of the season for Panthers fans, and it was just as real in the spreadsheets as it was on tape. He was PFF's No. 7 graded passer from Week 8 onward. He had the second-highest Big Time Throw rate over that stretch and scored five rushing touchdowns in his final six games. Bryce Young knew it. Young was not making throws with this kind of confidence as a rookie. His top receivers down the stretch were 34-year-old Adam Thielen and UDFA rookie Jalen Coker, both of whom missed three games. Despite drastically increasing his ability to create explosive plays, Young didn't concede more turnovers or sacks amidst his breakout. His pressure to sack rate of 14.9 percent and Turnover Worthy Play rate of 2.3 percent were both below his career averages. The sample of Young turning the corner is small, but the impact was massive and earned him a spot at the back of the QB2 ranks in early fantasy drafts. Tetairoa McMillan was brought in with the eighth overall pick to be a true alpha for Young. As a true junior, McMillan ranked second in the country in receiving yards (1,319) while averaging 2.9 yards per route run. He earned 472 yards on deep targets in 2024, the third-most for a Power Four wideout. As a sophomore in 2023, McMillan racked up 533 yards on intermediate targets (10-19 yards downfield), the highest mark among P4 wideouts. McMillan finds himself in contested situations more often than you would like to see from a target dominator, but he wins those high-leverage looks at a high clip, giving him the 'always open' factor. The aforementioned Thielen missed seven games with a hamstring injury but was as good as ever when on the field. He rebounded in 2023 after a few stagnant years in Minnesota and upped the ante in 2024, averaging 2.1 yards per route run with a 17-game pace of 82 catches for 1,046 yards and nine scores. Thielen isn't a fun click, but he's the perfect WR4/5 for fantasy managers who want to load up on rookies and other high upside bets. With Thielen penciled in for a heavy dose of slot work and McMillan guaranteed a starting role, Coker and Xavier Legette are fighting for the final position in three-receiver sets. Carolina was counting on Legette to be an immediate playmaker after spending the No. 32 overall pick on him. He labored through toe, wrist, and shoulder injuries en route to 497 yards at a dreadful 1.2 yards per route run. Legette's stiff route-running was an issue and he failed to show anything after the catch. He was a high-risk prospect who showed only the floor as a rookie. Coker was a hidden gem in Charlotte, nearly matching Legette's yardage output on 139 fewer routes. PFF graded him as their No. 5 rookie. The UDFA status will follow Coker into his second season, making Legette a better bet for routes early in the season, even if the former is a more exciting bet heading into year two. There isn't much happening at tight end on this roster. Rookie J'Tavion Sanders split work with Tommy Tremble as a rookie and will likely do so again this year. Sanders will also have to keep fifth-round rookie Mitchell Evans at bay. Sanders is worth a dart throw in deep best ball leagues but isn't near the redraft radar. Running Game RB: Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne, Raheem Blackshear OL (L-R): Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton Carolina entered the 2024 season expecting Chuba Hubbard to hold down the starting job until second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks was ready to take over. Brooks was coming back from the torn ACL he suffered in his final season at Texas and was expected to be the team's future at running back. Instead, he tragically suffered another torn ACL after just nine carries. The injury paved the way for Hubbard to see the bulk of the backfield work for the entire season. Hubbard was one of four backs to see over 80 percent of their team's running back carries last year. He made good on the role with a 250/1,195/10 rushing line and strong efficiency marks. Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-10 runner with an equally impressive 3.5 yards after contact per attempt. He was even more dominant in NFL Next Gen's data with an NFL-high 51.2 percent success rate and 1.16 rush yards over expected per carry. Hubbard did it all on the ground. He was explosive, elusive, and consistent. The Panthers rewarded him with a four-year, $33.2 million contract midseason. Brooks has already been ruled out for 2025 and the Panthers are returning all five starting offensive linemen from last year. Hubbard isn't much of a threat as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but his rushing workload and efficiency should put him in the RB1 conversation this summer. Carolina signed Rico Dowdle off a breakout season in Dallas and drafted pass-catching specialist Trevor Etienne on Day Three to round out their backfield. Dowdle stepped up last year with 1,000 rushing yards and solid peripherals, but the NFL didn't buy into the breakout on the open market. The Cowboys let him walk and Carolina only gave him a one-year, $2.75 million deal. Dowdle averaged a measly .88 yards per route run and was a good but not great runner. He was likely viewed as a two-down backup by GMs, including Dan Morgan of Carolina. Etienne peaked at 131 carries and hit 20 carries in a game once during three years of college ball. He did, however, catch 32 passes in 10 games as a junior at Georgia. Etienne could work himself into a role on passing downs as a rookie, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see much of him early in the season. 2025 Carolina Panthers Win Total DraftKings Over/Under: 6.5 Pick: Over (-125) The Panthers are doing all the right things to turn their franchise around. After their No. 1 overall pick flopped as a rookie, they went out and got him one of the league's best offensive minds as his next head coach before bolstering the line in free agency. When Young showed promise at the end of his second season, first-year GM Dan Morgan doubled down on his ascent by spending the No. 8 overall pick on a wide receiver. If any team was going to make the leap from basement dweller to .500 this year, it would be the Panthers. Matthew Berry looks at Tetairoa McMillan joining the Carolina Panthers and breaks down why the former Arizona receiver is entering a favorable fantasy setup in Dave Canales' offense.
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Derrick Brown named Panthers' 'make-or-break' player for 2025 season
Derrick Brown named Panthers' 'make-or-break' player for 2025 season The hopes for this year's Carolina Panthers might hinge on a big return. Pro Football Focus contributor Dalton Wasserman recently named each NFL team's "make-or-break" player for the upcoming campaign. To qualify as such, a player would have to have the power to single-handedly make or break the success of his team in 2025. Wasserman tabs defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who was one-and-done in 2024, for the Panthers: Carolina's defense was futile last season in many facets, but the unit played at a historically poor level against the run. Part of that stemmed from star defensive tackle Derrick Brown suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1. Brown placed second among all interior defenders in 2023 with an elite 90.0 PFF run-defense grade. His presence in the middle makes the entire unit better. The Panthers acquired several pieces on the defensive line to improve their run defense, but Brown's return to his 2023 form would make the biggest impact. Along with that 90.0 run-defense grade, Brown amassed a whopping 103 tackles—an NFL single-season record for a defensive lineman. Those results, which also included 2.0 sacks and an interception, help send the former first-round pick to his first career Pro Bowl. This past year, however, wasn't as kind to Brown—who missed 16 of Carolina's 17 games after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in their opener. The Panthers went on to allow the most points ever as well as a league-worst 179.8 rushing yards per game. Brown, who has yet to fully participate in offseason workouts, was asked when he hopes to get back on the practice field. "Hopefully, very close," he replied. "I expect to be out there in training camp. Load management, and hopefully in the next few weeks, I get cleared. So that's the goal and then at that point, it's just getting back in football shape and being able to go out there and play with the team." Panthers veterans are set to report to training camp on Tuesday, July 22. So hopefully for Carolina and their defense, their 6-foot-5, 320-pound wrecking ball is back in working order by then. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryce Young Named Breakout QB by ESPN Analyst
Bryce Young Named Breakout QB by ESPN Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After a rocky rookie season, and an up and down second season that left many questioning if the Carolina Panthers had made the right call with the No. 1 overall pick, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is throwing his full support behind Bryce Young, and he's not doing it quietly. Advertisement 'If I had to bet on one, it would be Bryce,' Orlovsky said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week. 'I just think what he went through last year and not breaking… and then the success he had at the end of the season, it says a lot.' That statement should jolt Panthers fans wide awake. Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback himself, is known for his detailed film breakdowns and thoughtful analysis. And his praise for Young goes well beyond platitudes, it's rooted in what he sees as real growth and, more importantly, a far better environment in Year 3. A Stronger Foundation Around Young Much of Orlovsky's confidence comes from the changes Carolina has made this offseason. He specifically pointed to the arrival of first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, a 6-foot-4 wideout from Arizona known for his physicality and catch radius. Advertisement 'You're talking 6'4' and 6'4' on the perimeter, they're just physically a problem,' Orlovsky said, referencing McMillan and former first round pick Xavier Legette. 'I love the Tet McMillan addition.' That duo, paired with an improved offensive line and a more stable offensive scheme under head coach Dave Canales, has Orlovsky drawing comparisons to the Arthur Smith led 2019 Titans offense that featured A.J. Brown and Corey Davis, both big-bodied targets that elevated quarterback play through sheer physical dominance. Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is selected by the Carolina Panthers as the number eight pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Canales: The Underrated Catalyst While Young's raw talent is no secret, the former Heisman Trophy winner was taken No. 1 overall for a reason. Orlovsky believes the Panthers' biggest X-factor might be their new head coach. Advertisement 'Canales is a really good coach,' Orlovsky said. 'We've got three different places where he's gone and been their coach, and he's had success.' Canales helped revive the careers of both Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. Now, he's tasked with unlocking Young's full potential, and Orlovsky believes he's just the man to do it. Time to Believe? Young's rookie numbers, 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions weren't eye-popping. But Orlovsky argues context matters. The offensive line struggled, and Young was frequently left running for his life. During his sophomore campaign Young improved tremendously over the second half of the season. He showed flashes late in the season that suggested he hadn't lost confidence or command. Advertisement 'Bryce was the number one pick not because he wasn't talented,' Orlovsky said. 'He just went through some tough times his rookie year. I think Bryce is on the board to take a really big jump.' For Panthers fans, that might be the most encouraging breakdown yet. This is not just hype, but hope grounded in real, observable progress. Related: Ja'Tavion Sanders Primed for Breakout Season as Panthers' TE1 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Third of Brits are skipping SPF on this crucial body part as expert warns 'do not ignore'
We might think we're covering every area with SPF but it turns out we're overlooking one key body part Sunshine is finally breaking through the UK skies after a period of heavy downpours, wind, and thunderstorms. Even when the sun is behind the clouds, though, it is important to protect our skin by wearing a good SPF. The UK weather offers little certainty, and with the summer holidays approaching, travellers may be actively seeking destinations with guaranteed sunshine, where, after lathering on the sun cream, they can kick back and relax. New research from Saga Holidays, found that 68 per cent of Brits surveyed consider beach temperatures a key factor when choosing a holiday. There's a reason for this - a little sun is quite literally what the doctor ordered. Pharmacist Carolina Goncalves says moderate sun exposures "helps your body produce serotonin, the 'feel-good' neurotransmitter that lifts your mood and brings a sense of calmness". However, the research from Saga Holidays and Carolina also revealed that almost a third of Brits are making a crucial mistake by not protecting the delicate skin on one part of their body from the sun. It turns out the most common mistake Brits make when using SPF is overlooking the lips. In fact, almost a third of Brits fail to protect their lips with SPF lip balm, whilst just one in four do so. To ensure we are enjoying the sun safely and maintaining a healthy sun exposure balance, Carolina has teamed up with GP Dr Hana Patel to reveal their top tips for how to protect our skin. Health experts' top tips for safely making the most of the sun Protect your lips "The skin on the lips is thinner and more delicate, so use an SPF 30 lip balm or higher," Carolina urged. "If you do get burnt, a thin layer of aloe Vera gel or petroleum jelly will soothe." As mentioned, only one in four Brits consistently protect their lips with SPF lip balm – and 30 per cent never do this. Regularly apply sunscreen- even if it's 'water-resistant' "Even if your SPF is 'water resistant', reapply lotion straight after you have been in water, after towel drying and sweating," Patel advised. Alarmingly, less than half (45 per cent) of Brits say they always reapply sunscreen - but one in ten never do this. Take regular breaks during peak UV hours Carolina warns to take regular breaks between peak UV hours (10am-3pm), yet only 39 per cent of Brits always do this and one in seven (14 per cent) never take breaks during peak times. In a separate report, Yinka Ebo, Senior Health Information Officer at Cancer Research UK explained: "We all need some sun to keep us healthy, but it's important to stay safe when the sun is strong and take care not to burn. "In many cases sunburn actually happens in the UK, often when people are out and about. The sun's rays can be strong enough to burn in the UK from around April to September. "You can protect yourself and your family from sunburn by using a combination of shade, clothing and at least SPF 15 sunscreen when enjoying the sunshine." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart ruled out of Game 3 against Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart has been ruled out of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Reinhart suffered what the team has called a lower-body injury during Game 2 at the 5:09 mark of the second period when Carolina's Sebastian Aho ran into him, hitting him hard on the knee and knocking him off his feet. Advertisement 'He's not in our lineup tonight, that's our concern,' Florida coach Paul Maurice said. 'He's day-to-day.' May 14, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) congratulates Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist (70) after his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Maurice said Reinhart, who has four goals and 11 points in 14 postseason games, "touches all parts of your game' but that the Panthers must survive his absence as they have others during the postseason. More: Miami Dolphins can learn awful lot by watching Florida Panthers' championship habits 'He is a critical part of our power play, [Aleksander] Barkov and Reinhart are elite at penalty killing and then he draws the heavy fire and pulls the best set of D out of the other team," Maurice said. "So, it's a significant player out of our lineup for sure, and we have gone through stretches where Barkov, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad have missed important time in the playoffs, but you have to be able to survive it.' Advertisement The Panthers will turn to Jesper Boqvist on the first line next to Barkov and Evan Rodrigues when they host the Hurricanes tonight in Sunrise. He scored a career-high 12 goals and 23 points in 78 regular-season games and one goal and one assist in nine playoff games - both coming against Toronto. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stanley Cup 2025: Panthers forward Sam Reinhart's injury sidelines him
