The Carolina Panthers are firmly focused on reaching the postseason by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. That would be a significant milestone for this perennial struggler, but others around the league started planning for the future long ago.
This scenario is something Panthers fans have become depressingly familiar with under David Tepper's ownership, but things are finally trending up. General manager Dan Morgan will be formulating a plan of attack behind the scenes, and one of the most significant talking points centers on the future of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.