CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NFC South is setting up to be the most wide open division in the NFL next season, coming off a year where an 8-9 Tampa Bay squad won the division while Carolina, New Orleans, and Atlanta all finished with identical 7-10 records.
Tom Brady's retirement opens the door for a new team to take over, and it's hard to ignore Carolina as a legitimate threat after using the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to take their quarterback of the future in Bryce Young.
"There is an opportunity for every single one of these teams to grab a hold of the division," Locked on Panthers host Julian Council said. "You look at Carolina, especially now that Bryce Young is here, you gotta feel pretty good about the Carolina Panthers being in a position, quarterback wise, to be the top dog in the NFC South."
Carolina had four other picks after Young, and used two of them to help ensure their rookie quarterback will succeed in year one - taking Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round as a replacement for DJ Moore, and adding versatile offensive linemen Chandler Zavala in Round 4.
New Orleans represents the biggest threat to Carolina, bringing veteran quarterback and Pro Bowler Derek Carr into an offense that fits his skill set quite well. They also added a pair of defensive linemen in Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey who will help shore up a huge need, and if they get full, healthy seasons from Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara this offense will be tough to beat.
Still, the Panthers have to feel good about their status in the NFC South not just for this upcoming season, but going forward with a dynamic quarterback on a rookie contract and developing pieces around him on both sides of the football.