5 most disappointing NFL teams in the 2023 season
3. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers didn't get a trophy for it, but they were the offseason champions of 2023. Even on this site, we anointed the Panthers as having one of the best offseasons of any team. It seemed like they were pushing all of the right buttons.
You make the hire of Frank Reich, who had previously done a tremendous job with guys like Carson Wentz and Andrew Luck, and add an all-star coaching staff beyond that. You trade up for the #1 pick and get former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. You go out in the offseason and make a bunch of intriguing moves to add even more talent to the roster, like signing running back Miles Sanders from the reigning NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The Panthers seemingly did everything right in order to surround and support a young quarterback, and they seemed to make the most educated decision possible on which guy to take.
But at the end of the day...
- Frank Reich was fired midway through the season
- Bryce Young looked bad, and struggled all throughout his rookie year
- Injuries crippled the team
- Nothing worked offensively
And to top it all off, the Panthers traded their first-round pick in 2024 to the Bears in order to get #1 in 2023. That pick ended up being the 1st overall pick in 2024 as Carolina had the worst record in the NFL. Many people felt like they could win the NFC South with the offseason they put together, but that couldn't have been further from the case.
This team was embarrassingly bad in 2023, and heads rolled because of it.