After landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and ultimately bringing in University of Alabama star Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers looked like a team that might be back on the right track, even though they parted ways with the longtime face of the franchise and arguably the best running back in the game, Christian McCaffrey.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the 2023 campaign turned out to be much rougher than anticipated, with head coach Frank Reich proving not to be the right man for the job as a leader on the sideline and Young needing a lot of polish in order to become the franchise player the team hopes he will be.
Despite failed expectations and Reich getting fired, the Panthers hope to bounce back during the 2024 NFL season, as Young will have a bit more experience under his belt and will almost certainly benefit from getting an upgrade at receiver with the addition of former Pittsburgh Steelers star Diontae Johnson.
After training camp practice on Monday, Johnson opened up about what he’s seen in Johnson in the short time they had to get to know each other on the football field via David Newton of ESPN.
“Nothing that I couldn’t already see in OTAs, but speaking towards it, just much of a competitor he is,” Young said. … “To see the amount of fire he comes out with every day. … “How competitive he is, how much he cares and not just about the little things. Obviously, wanting to win above all, but how much he cares about the details and how much he cares about the little things.”
Panthers QB Bryce Young loves the fire he sees daily in WR Diontae Johnson. pic.twitter.com/3T46QbIns4
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 5, 2024
It will be an interesting see for Young and Johnson as they try to strike up some chemistry and defy the odds during the 2024 campaign.
No one is giving the Panthers much of a chance to be a force to be reckoned with in 2024, but like the Houston Texans last season, anything can happen when it all starts to click.
