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The Carolina Panthers are ready to take a big step forward during the 2025 NFL season. Carolina did not have a great 2024 campaign, but it did end on a high note. The Panthers only won five games, but looked competitive down the back stretch of the regular season. Carolina even logged a huge upset win against Atlanta in Week 18.
Panthers fans have the right to feel optimistic after an eventful 2025 offseason.
Carolina added several playmakers during NFL free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. The Panthers made their biggest acquisitions during the draft itself.
Now the Panthers have a foundation of young players who can develop alongside QB Bryce Young. If some of these young players make a leap forward this fall, the Panthers could look like a frisky team.
Which Panthers rookies will have the biggest roles during the 2025 season? And will they threaten take jobs away from any veteran Panthers players?
Below we will explore three Panthers veterans whose roles could be challenged by rookies during the 2025 NFL season.
Will Tetairoa McMillan supplant Adam Thielen during his rookie season?
The Panthers have incredibly high hopes for Tetairoa McMillan.
Carolina drafted McMillan with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. McMillan was viewed as one of the best receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft, though that does not mean as much as it has in past seasons.
McMillan is a talented receiver, but he rose to become a top-10 pick in part because of the scarcity of top playmakers in this year's draft.
Regardless, the Panthers were thrilled to draft a player who should become their WR1 of the future.
It was inevitable that some young receiver would finally come around and beat Adam Thielen for the WR1 job in Carolina.
Thielen survived a situation like this last year, maintaining his role as WR1 in Carolina despite the addition of rookie Xavier Legette. Unfortunately, this time looks a lot different.
Thielen took a huge step back during the 2024 season. He was a machine in 2023, logging 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. It was shocking when he only managed 48 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
Part of this change was schematic. The Panthers leaned into their run-first philosophy in 2024, partially because of the emergence of Chuba Hubbard as a bell cow back.
Another part could be age, as Thielen is now 34 years old and set to turn 35 before the end of the 2025 season.
It will be fascinating to see how involved Thielen is in Carolina's offense later this fall.
Could Lathan Ransom spilt naps with Tre'von Moehrig?
It is odd to call Moehrig a Panthers veteran because he just joined the team this offseason.
Still, Moehrig brings a veteran presence to Carolina's secondary that is sorely needed.
The Panthers clearly brought Moehrig in with a plan for how to use him. He projects as a full-time starter in 2025 and possibly beyond that.
Moehrig's authority in the Panthers' secondary could come into question after the addition of rookie Lathan Ransom.
Ransom does have some areas of his game to improve, including tackling. That could keep him from beating a veteran like Moehrig for a starting role, at least right away.
Carolina added Ransom in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He is a physical strong safety who has the potential to set the tone for Carolina's defense.
Ultimately, it seems that Moehrig will be the unquestioned Week 1 starter for the Panthers. He even seems to have the coaching staff's favor as the starter going into the future.
That said, the Panthers would be fools to never use a rookie like Ransom. Perhaps Ransom will eat into Moehrig's snap count during the second half of the regular season as he becomes more familiar with the team's defensive scheme.
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Regardless, Moehrig has little to fear unless he takes a huge step back in 2025.
D.J. Wonnum's starting spot threatened by multiple rookies
Weirdly enough, D.J. Wonnum may be the most vulnerable Panthers veteran on this list.
It is odd because Wonnum is all but guaranteed a Week 1 starting job in Carolina. He was the starting weak-side linebacker in 2024 and appears ready to repeat as the starter in 2025.
So why so much concern for Wonnum?
The answer is the emphasis that Carolina put on adding edge rushers during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Panthers added two edge rushers on Day 2 of the draft. They added Nic Scourton out of Texas A&M and Princely Umanmielen out of Ole Miss.
This investment suggests that Carolina views both players as long-term pieces of the team's defense. That by itself does not mean that Wonnum is out of a job, but it does confirm that he will be in for some competition this summer.
As it stands before training camp, most NFL experts expect Scourton to start at edge rusher opposite of Wonnum.
Scourton will replace Jadeveon Clowney, who the Panthers released after the 2025 NFL Draft. This is another piece of evidence that Carolina's brass changed their plan for the defense after the draft.
It will be interesting to see how the Panthers line up on third downs.
Scourton projects as a three-down starter and should be on the field during passing situations. Wonnum is a decent pass rusher in his own right, so he could join Scourton on those players.
However, Umanmielen is expected to be a pass rushing specialist during his rookie season.
If the Panthers want to use Umanmielen much during his rookie season, they're left with a few choices. They could rotate Umanmielen onto the field, taking Scourton or Wonnum off whenever they need rest.
Carolina could also use exotic packages that have Umanmielen, Scourton, and Wonnum on the field at the same time.
The third option is Umanmielen replaces one of the other edge rushers on third down. If that is what Carolina chooses to do, it will likely pull Wonnum out for Umanmielen.
Wonnum should still have a role in 2025, but he could see Carolina's two rookies significantly eat into his snaps throughout the season.
