It was delayed by a week, but the Panthers are officially on to the offseason after being eliminated by the Rams in the Wild Card Round of the 2026 playoffs. Carolina’s draft position is now locked into place at No. 19. The rest of the teams that lose this weekend will fill in slots 20-24.
Carolina ranked near the bottom of the NFL in 2026 in sacks with 30, and edge rusher is absolutely a top need heading into free agency and the draft. Rico Dowdle was the team’s leading rusher, with 1,076 yards and six rushing touchdowns, plus contributed 297 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air, and he’s hitting free agency. Christian Rozeboom, the Panthers’ tackles leader who also had two sacks, three pass break-ups, a pick and a forced fumble, will also become a free agent when the new league year ends. The Panthers are projected to have about $39 million in cap space to work with this offseason based on the 51-man projection, but obviously when they can shore up these key positions through the draft, it makes long-term team building for success easier.
Here’s the updated draft order after the Panthers’ Wild Card exit.
