The Panthers enter 2024 at the bottom of the NFL's totem pole.
No team has fewer wins than Carolina (31) since the start of the 2018 season, which is why it finds itself on its fourth full-time head coach in seven years.
Here are the franchise's five most valuable people for 2024, ranked in inverse order:
5. Wide receiver Xavier Legette
The Panthers showed how much they valued Legette by trading up to select him with the last pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The former South Carolina wideout has shown explosiveness in camp and could help quarterback Bryce Young reach his full potential as a former No. 1 overall pick.
Last season for the Gamecocks, Legette had 71 receptions, 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns.
The team seemingly dodged catastrophe after Legette suffered a lower leg injury during practice last Sunday and tests showed no structural damage. He returned to practice on Monday.
Carolina is playing things safe. It held Legette out of its preseason opener, but his health could be vital to the team's potential offensive turnaround.
Last year, the Panthers ranked 31st in scoring (13.9 points per game) and last in total offense (265.3 yards per game).
4. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown
Brown became even more important in the Panthers' defensive front after edge Brian Burns was traded to the Giants during the offseason. He's the team's best lineman and is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance.
In 2023, Brown had 103 tackles, becoming the first defensive tackle in 30 years to have at least 100 tackles in a season, per Stathead.
This April, the Panthers signed him to a four-year, $96 million ($63 million guaranteed) extension. If he lives up to his contract, he'll once again be one of the league's best tackles.
3. Cornerback Jaycee Horn
The No. 8 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft has had an injury-plagued start to his professional career, playing in 22 of a possible 51 regular-season games, including six in 2023 after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1.
When healthy, Horn has lived up to his draft billing. Per data from Pro Football Reference, he's allowed 53 completions on 98 targets (54.1 percent) with three touchdowns and three interceptions over his first three seasons.
2. General manager Dan Morgan
The former Panthers linebacker (2001-07) was promoted to the franchise's president of football operations/general manager in January after spending three seasons as the team's assistant general manager (2021-23). Morgan quickly put his fingerprints on the roster, trading away Burns and acquiring wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Steelers.
In free agency, Morgan revamped the team's offensive line, signing guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, and also adding edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney to make up for losing Burns.
It will likely take more than one offseason to transform the Panthers, who went 2-15 in 2023, into a contender. But this season is crucial to the organization's learning whether Morgan has it on the right track.
1. Head coach Dave Canales
Canales was hired days after the team named Morgan as its general manager and the two have a strong working relationship from their eight years together with the Seahawks (2010-17).
But the first-year head coach's most important quality is his role as a quarterback whisperer. As Seahawks quarterbacks coach in 2022, Canales oversaw quarterback Geno Smith's stunning turnaround from journeyman to earning $40 million guaranteed from Seattle.
After revitalizing Smith's career, Canales did the same with quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2023, leading the Bucs quarterback to sign a three-year, $100 million contract extension during the offseason.
Canales' ability to work magic with Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who was one of the league's worst last season, will determine Carolina's success in 2024 and beyond.
