How good will be the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 season? The team is clearly on a rebuilding path, with a lot of young players on their roster. However, they also have the first overall pick in Bryce Young, and defense led by two talented playmakers in Brian Burns and Jaycee Horn. They also added veteran linebacker Justin Houston recently.

With Carolina playing in a severely weakened NFC South, the Panthers are in prime position to make the playoffs. With that in mind, Houston believes that the team can surprise people, per David Newton. The former All-Pro linebackers believes that the talent is there, but they need to find a way to make them work together.

Justin Houston: “I think we’re (Panthers) gonna surprise a lot of people. The league is sleeping on us as a whole. I think we got a lot of talent here. So the biggest thing is putting this talent together… I think these guys are willing to work and do whatever it takes to be on the same page and I think we’re heading towards the right direction.”

The Panthers do have the talent to sneak into the playoffs. On offense, they have some intriguing pieces in DJ Chark, Adam Thielen, Hayden Hurst, and Miles Sanders in the backfield. They will, of course, be led by the rookie Young. On defense, we've already talked about Houston, Burns, and Horn. They also went and signed Vonn Bell to add to their secondary.

With how open the NFC South is, the Panthers have a chance to send Bryce Young to the playoffs in just his rookie year. It isn't going to be a cakewalk by any means, but it's definitely doable.