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The Carolina Panthers are spending more on their offensive line than any other team in the NFL this year, and by a very wide margin. But what do their investments look like on the other side of the ball?
Let's see where the Panthers are putting their resources defense, and break down—by position—how much they're spending and where those totals rank.
*Figures via Spotrac
The front office splurged to upgrade this group in free agency, giving Jaelan Phillips a massive four-year, $120 million deal. Phillips' cap hit in Year 1 comes out to a little under $10 million, just shy of Patrick Jones II and his $10.11 million, the most for this unit.
Meanwhile, second-year stud Nic Scourton has a cap number under $2 million and Princely Umanmielen is around $1.47 million.
Derrick Brown, of course, represents the biggest piece inside. His cap hit for 2026 comes out to $10.95 million, but that number will balloon to over $30 million in 2027 and 2028.
The rest of Carolina's line spending leaves a bit to be desired, given the lack of production from the rest of the unit. Tershawn Wharton's cap hit is $18.46 million, while Bobby Brown III's is at $8.03 million.
Newcomer Devin Lloyd is now the most expensive item at linebacker. The cap number for the first year of his new contract is $6.77 million, roughly half of the entire position group's total.
Entering his third year in the NFL, Trevin Wallace's cap hit is only $1.625 million. The rest of the off-ball linebackers cost next to nothing.
At cornerback, Jaycee Horn has the largest slice of the pie, with a cap hit just south of $10.9 million.
Next up is the criminally-underrated Mike Jackson at $7.8 million. The rest of Carolina's cornerback room, including Chau-Smith Wade and rookie Will Lee III all have cap numbers around $1 million or less.
Last but not least is the safety group, where Tre'Von Moehrig is on top with a 2026 cap number of $21.27 million—representing a massive portion of the Panthers' spending at this position.
Nick Scott comes in a distant second with a cap number of $2 million this year. Rookie Zakee Wheatley out of Penn State will cost the team just over $1 million for his first year.
Unlike their offensive spending, this unit has the resources spread out much more evenly. Whether or not that will translate to positive results remains to be seen, but general manager Dan Morgan has done a good job of building up this unit.
The swings and misses at defensive tackle don't help—and they need more from Moehrig to justify the size of his deal. The rest of the pact here are pretty well-balanced, though.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: How much are the Panthers spending at each position on defense?
Continue reading...
Let's see where the Panthers are putting their resources defense, and break down—by position—how much they're spending and where those totals rank.
*Figures via Spotrac
Edge: $27.76 million (14th)
The front office splurged to upgrade this group in free agency, giving Jaelan Phillips a massive four-year, $120 million deal. Phillips' cap hit in Year 1 comes out to a little under $10 million, just shy of Patrick Jones II and his $10.11 million, the most for this unit.
Meanwhile, second-year stud Nic Scourton has a cap number under $2 million and Princely Umanmielen is around $1.47 million.
Defensive line: $47.55 million (10th)
Derrick Brown, of course, represents the biggest piece inside. His cap hit for 2026 comes out to $10.95 million, but that number will balloon to over $30 million in 2027 and 2028.
The rest of Carolina's line spending leaves a bit to be desired, given the lack of production from the rest of the unit. Tershawn Wharton's cap hit is $18.46 million, while Bobby Brown III's is at $8.03 million.
Linebacker: $14.66 million (27th)
Newcomer Devin Lloyd is now the most expensive item at linebacker. The cap number for the first year of his new contract is $6.77 million, roughly half of the entire position group's total.
Entering his third year in the NFL, Trevin Wallace's cap hit is only $1.625 million. The rest of the off-ball linebackers cost next to nothing.
Cornerback: $28.91 million (16th)
At cornerback, Jaycee Horn has the largest slice of the pie, with a cap hit just south of $10.9 million.
Next up is the criminally-underrated Mike Jackson at $7.8 million. The rest of Carolina's cornerback room, including Chau-Smith Wade and rookie Will Lee III all have cap numbers around $1 million or less.
Safety: $26.6 million (9th)
Last but not least is the safety group, where Tre'Von Moehrig is on top with a 2026 cap number of $21.27 million—representing a massive portion of the Panthers' spending at this position.
Nick Scott comes in a distant second with a cap number of $2 million this year. Rookie Zakee Wheatley out of Penn State will cost the team just over $1 million for his first year.
Unlike their offensive spending, this unit has the resources spread out much more evenly. Whether or not that will translate to positive results remains to be seen, but general manager Dan Morgan has done a good job of building up this unit.
The swings and misses at defensive tackle don't help—and they need more from Moehrig to justify the size of his deal. The rest of the pact here are pretty well-balanced, though.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: How much are the Panthers spending at each position on defense?
Continue reading...
