In the fifth of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Carolina Panthers.
Key Off-Season Acquisitions
The Panthers added two defensive players in the NFL offseason on March 11. They signed defensive end Jaelan Phillips of Redlands, California to a four-year contract worth $120 million and linebacker Devin Lloyd of Kansas City, Missouri to a three-year contract worth $45 million.
Phillips is joining his third NFL team after four full seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2021 to 2024) and spending last season with the Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles organizations. In 2025, he had 53 combined tackles (29 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles), 14 quarterback hits, seven tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries for four yards and five sacks. The first fumble recovery came in a 27-21 Dolphins win over the New York Jets on September 29. The second fumble recovery came in a 10-7 Eagles win over the Green Bay Packers on November 10, and the forced fumble came in a 13-12 Eagles win over the Buffalo Bills on December 28.
Lloyd played the last four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Jaguars last season, Lloyd played in 15 games and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He had 81 combined tackles (46 assisted tackles and 35 solo tackles), six tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits, five interceptions for 135 yards, one pick six, seven pass deflections, one fumble recovery for two yards and 1.5 sacks. The fumble recovery came in a 17-10 Jaguars win over the Houston Texans on September 21. The interception return for a touchdown was for 99 yards and came in a 31-28 Jaguars win over the Kansas City Chiefs on October 6. The sack and a half came in a 27-24 Jaguars win over the Arizona Cardinals on November 23.
Fantasy Stars
The Panthers do not have a single player ranked in the top 10 in any fantasy position.
Projected Finish
The Panthers were the only team in the NFL last season to win the division with a losing record. They were at eight wins and nine losses, but were good enough to win the NFC South for the first time since 2015. The NFC South remains the weakest division, and with the Panthers losing running back Rico Dowdle to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense is expected to take a dip. Expect a third place finish in the NFC South for Carolina in 2026.
