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The Carolina Panthers roster appears to be better than it was when last season ended. That's especially true on defense, where general manager Dan Morgan splurged to upgrade a long-suffering defensive front seven that has featured Derrick Brown, more Derrick Brown and not a whole lot else for several years now.
Morgan's two big acquisitions were outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips and inside linebacker Devin Lloyd—who should in theory, boost Carolina's toothless pass rush and their mediocre coverage in the middle of the field.
"In theory" is never a guarantee, though. If these signings turn out poorly, the Panthers may find themselves in the same spot as they were in 2025—good enough to win an awful division , but not good enough to beat any true playoff contender.
Here's Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report on the worst-case scenario for Carolina's defense in 2026:
While the Panthers did improve on this side of the ball a great deal this past year, much of that progress can be attributed to the return of Brown—who missed 16 of 17 games in 2024. Brown helped bring their run defense out of the basement, and a surprise standout season from cornerback Mike Jackson helped keep the lid down on the back end.
Outside of those two, it's difficult to point out where this unit improved from a personnel standpoint. With a significantly tougher schedule to play in 2026, the Panthers may find themselves in over their heads despite looking better on paper. In addition to Phillips and Lloyd working out, they'll need second-year pass rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, inside linebacker Trevin Wallace and safety Nick Scott to step up.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst lays out worst-case scenario for Panthers defense in 2026
Continue reading...
Morgan's two big acquisitions were outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips and inside linebacker Devin Lloyd—who should in theory, boost Carolina's toothless pass rush and their mediocre coverage in the middle of the field.
"In theory" is never a guarantee, though. If these signings turn out poorly, the Panthers may find themselves in the same spot as they were in 2025—good enough to win an awful division , but not good enough to beat any true playoff contender.
Here's Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report on the worst-case scenario for Carolina's defense in 2026:
While the Panthers did improve on this side of the ball a great deal this past year, much of that progress can be attributed to the return of Brown—who missed 16 of 17 games in 2024. Brown helped bring their run defense out of the basement, and a surprise standout season from cornerback Mike Jackson helped keep the lid down on the back end.
Outside of those two, it's difficult to point out where this unit improved from a personnel standpoint. With a significantly tougher schedule to play in 2026, the Panthers may find themselves in over their heads despite looking better on paper. In addition to Phillips and Lloyd working out, they'll need second-year pass rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, inside linebacker Trevin Wallace and safety Nick Scott to step up.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst lays out worst-case scenario for Panthers defense in 2026
Continue reading...
