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5 NFL teams that improved more than the rest so far in 2023

By Sayre Bedinger

NFL Mock Draft 2023 - Frank Reich speaks with the media during the Carolina Panthers head coach introduction at Bank of America Stadium on January 31, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
NFL Mock Draft 2023 - Frank Reich speaks with the media during the Carolina Panthers head coach introduction at Bank of America Stadium on January 31, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) /
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2023 NFL Free Agency
2023 NFL Free Agency: Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up prior to the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /

1. Carolina Panthers

Simply put, I don’t like anyone’s offseason in the entire NFL right now better than I like the Panthers’ offseason. This team has done a remarkable job of putting itself in a position to compete right away in a weak division, and they hold the number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Let’s start with the most important — the Panthers upgrading their coaching staff. I think Frank Reich being their selection is as smart as it is poetic. The former Panthers QB (the first to ever take a snap for the franchise) is now in charge of leading them to the promised land from the head coach’s chair, and he’s not alone on his all-star staff. Look at some of the big names Reich brought in to coach up this team:

  • Duce Staley, Assistant HC, RBs
  • Thomas Brown, OC
  • Josh McCown, QBs
  • Parks Frazier, Passing Game Coordinator
  • Shawn Jefferson, WRs
  • Ejiro Evero, DC

When you look at some of the key pieces on that staff, what stands out most of all? There is probably not a young quarterback in the league that’s stepping into a better overall situation, is there? That’s why when the Panthers moved up for the no. 1 overall pick — as steep as the cost was — it made so much sense for them to do so. Now, about getting the right guy…

In the meantime, the Panthers brought in Andy Dalton to hold down the fort. Dalton was okay for the Saints last year, so he will be serviceable for the time being. They enhanced the running game by bringing in Miles Sanders from the Eagles, reuniting him with Duce Staley after the best year of his NFL career to date.

They also just recently signed Adam Thielen, a nice veteran presence for a wide receiver room that lost DJ Moore but still features some intriguing pieces in Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr.

Then you add Von Bell, Shy Tuttle, and former Broncos starter DeShawn Williams to a defense now being coached by former Denver defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero? This Carolina team is set up so perfectly to break in a rookie QB and have success early on in Frank Reich’s tenure.

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