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The best teams around the NFL tend to double down on their roster strengths, turning good units into dominant ones over time as they develop into championship contenders.
Although the Carolina Panthers ' roster still has a ton of work to do before they join that conversation, they have at least a couple of spots that are starting to look awfully good compared to the competition.
Let's review each position group on the Panthers' roster right now, ranking them from best to worst going into 2026.
1.
Offensive line The Panthers are paying for the most expensive offensive line in the league this year, and they should be getting their money's worth.
This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan went out of his way to upgrade this unit's depthbulking up the blindside by signing former Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker and drafting Georgias Monroe Freeling with this years 19th overall pick.
He also added veteran Luke Fortner and fifth-rounder Sam Hecht at center.
And while their backups at guard arent quite as solid, Carolina has one of the best starting duos in Damien Lewis and 2024 Pro Bowler Robert Hunt.
2.
Secondary The other potential superpower on this team is their defensive backfield, which features another top duo in cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and the criminally-underrated Mike Jackson.
In the slot, the Panthers have two promising young options in Corey Thornton and Chau Smith-Wade.
They could certainly use more help at safety, but they have at least one stud in veteran Tre'Von Moehrig.
A big improvement from 2025 fourth-round pick Lathan Ransom in his sophomore campaign would be a huge help to this group.
3.
Interior defensive line Signing Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown II last spring hasnt worked out well, in either case.
However, having a star like Derrick Brown at the top of your rotation counts for a whole lot.
Coming off what was arguably the best season of his NFL career, Brown now finally has a respectable partner in crime inside.
Second-round draft pick Lee Hunter has the tools to break into the starting lineup as a rookielining up next to Brown and possibly remaining there for a long time.
4.
Wide receiver A perfectly-average wide receiver corps is a massive improvement over where the Panthers were three years ago, when they had arguably the worst such room in the NFL.
These days, 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan gives them their first guaranteed star production since Steve Smith Sr., while Jalen Coker provides excellent help.
The rest are question marksbut if one of Xavier Legette, Chris Brazzell II, John Metchie III or Jimmy Horn Jr.
can step up, this group will start to look really good on paper.
5.
Edge Carolina's edge rotation was easily the most difficult position group to rank given their wide range of potential outcomes.
If free-agent pickup Jaelan Phillips lives up to his huge new contract , it'll provide a massive boost where the Panthers need it most.
If second-year outside linebackers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen can continue growing, this might be one of the most improved units in the league this year.
If neither of those things happen, the Panthers will likely finish near the bottom of the league in sacks once again.
6.
Linebacker Signing Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd to be the new centerpiece of the defense could turn out to be the most impactful move that Carolina made this offseason.
It's a shame that the rest of the off-ball linebacker room is such a disappointment.
With Christian Rozeboom now in Tampa, 2024 third-rounder Trevin Wallace will continue to startpainting a bright red target for opposing play-callers to target with the run or the pass.
The backup options behind Lloyd and Wallace arent established either.
7.
Quarterback As clutch as Bryce Young is, he still hasn't proven that he's consistent enough to earn a long-term starting job with the Panthers.
We know that Young does have elite potential, he just has to fulfill it more often than three to four times a season.
Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett is a below-average backup option in the NFL and Will Grier is a below-average third-stringer.
Any hopes for quality depth might rely on undrafted rookie Haynes King.
8.
Running back A few years ago, this was one of the NFL's more solid running back roomswith Christian McCaffrey leading and Chuba Hubbard backing him up.
Now, this unit is defined by two big questionscan Hubbard get back to the level he was playing at in 2024 and can Jonathon Brooks stay healthy for a full season? If the answer to both is a no, this will be one of the league's worst backfields.
If its a yes, it will mean the world to Young and the rest of Carolina's offense.
9.
Tight end At least the Panthers are no longer wasting a roster spot on Ian Thomas, but that addition by subtraction hasn't amounted to any real improvement at this position.
Tommy Tremble is still an excellent blocker and should continue to start, but the entire roomwhich also includes JaTavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans and Felipe Frankshas yet to meaningfully produce in the receiving department.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Ranking Panthers position groups from strongest to weakest for 2026.