CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Locked On Panthers host Julian Council joined Sports Director Nick Carboni to discuss which Panthers preseason storylines he is buying and selling ahead of the 2024 season.
Bryce Young will be a top 20 NFL quarterback this season based on QB Rating: BUY
Council: "I think that Bryce Young can be right around 15, 16 or 17 this year. And I think they fixed things around Bryce Young on offense where he actually has a chance. Last year, he didn't have a chance. The offensive line was banged up all year long. They rotated seven different left guards, eight different right guards. That's not a formula for success for anyone, let alone a rookie quarterback. So I'm buying that Bryce Young with a better offensive line, adding in Diontae Johnson, will be at the very least the 20th best quarterback in the NFL this year."
Under new coach Dave Canales, the Panthers will score 20 points per game in 2024: BUY
Council: "I think the offensive line is fixed. I also believe they have another receiver outside Adam Thielen that can help Bryce Young and actually make plays and I think the running game should be good. They can't possibly be as inept as they were offensively (in 2023). I just don't see that happening this year. Dave Canales did a marvelous job last year in Tampa with Baker Mayfield and that offense. And then the year prior working as a quarterback coach in Seattle with Geno Smith. That's going to get the most out of Bryce Young and the most out of a Panthers offense that has better pieces this year. Provided that they stay healthy."
Ickey Ekwonu will end the season as the clear starting left tackle for the 2025 season: BUY
Council: "I'm gonna buy that he's going to be the starting left tackle for the entirety of the season and I'm gonna buy that he will be the guy in 2025. Not necessarily that he's going to be a sure thing. But when Dan Morgan, the Panthers general manager, came out in the offseason and said that they believe in Ickey as a left tackle and then they gave Damien Lewis a bunch of money to play left guard and they gave Robert Hunt a bunch of money to play right guard, they made it to where Ickey is gonna have to be the left tackle this year. And next season in Carolina, there's not much recourse for them to go with someone else. Looking at how they basically bought their way into a corner to where Ickey has to be a left tackle, I'm buying it just based off of that. But also I'm a believer. Ekwonu could be a left tackle. A lot of people like to say he's got to play guard, but then they never offer a solution."
Running back Chuba Hubbard will remain at the top of the depth chart through the end of the season: BUY
Council: "I believe he will. We have no idea when (Jonathan Brooks) is going to play. They can use Chuba and run him into the ground. They can run Miles Sanders into the ground. So I'm expecting that Chuba Hubbard is going to be RB1. I think he's going to have a great season as his final season here in Carolina. You don't take running back in the second round for him not to be your guy eventually. But this year, I'm buying Chuba Hubbard."
Diontae Johnson will lead the Panthers in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2024: BUY
Council: "Provided that he stays healthy, I'm buying. It's nice that Diontae Johnson is here and that Adam Theilen is here and those are two guys that Bryce Young can believe in."
Rookie receiver Xavier Legette will score four total touchdowns in 2024: SELL
Council: "No, I am not buying that. I'm gonna sell that and I'm also gonna sell the Deebo Samuel comparisons and DK Metcalf comparisons. Let's just let him get on the field and be healthy, first. And that's really why I'm selling this based off of the fact that since Xavier Legette has been here in Carolina, he's been pretty banged up. When he was healthy early on in training camp, it wasn't like he was making the biggest impact. He was behind Jonathan Mingo and wasn't really running with the ones and the one opportunity we saw for him to get the ball he dropped it. That's just a very small sample size, but he has not been healthy enough."
The Panthers defense will post at least 30 sacks in 2024: SELL
Council: "I'm selling that at this point, and I'm not even sure they hit half that total. They probably will. This is by far the worst pass rush in the NFL. And I don't know how much better it's going to get. I understand that Brian Burns did not have the kind of season that Panthers fans believe would have warranted $30 million per year like the Giants are giving him. And I even believe that's kind of a high total, but he's a good player entering into his prime and now he's gone. I'm not impressed by this group at all and I just do not see how they are going to be better than last year's total when they clearly have gotten worse in the talent department. They're also just not healthy there. So, yeah, I'm selling this big time."
The Panthers defense will tally 15 or more takeaways in 2024: BUY
Council: "I'm going to buy it. You go back to a lot of things we saw during training camp and the days where the offense wasn't great were also days where the defense was really good. And a lot of the times it was the defense knocking the ball out and being able to force turnovers. That's something that Dave Canales has talked about since the spring, how they want to be punching at the ball, they want to get the ball on the ground. They really want to be aggressive in that category. I think that this defense gets after the ball more. I think they're going to be able to hit that total this year. So, yeah, I'm gonna buy this. Ejiro Evero's defense is going to get at least 15 turnovers.
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.