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The Carolina Panthers defense improved by leaps and bounds this past season after a historically bad 2024 campaign. One piece of the puzzle is still missing, though.
Carolina has not had a quality pass rush in several years. In 2025, the unit tied for the third-fewest sacks (30) and, by Pro Football Reference's measures, the second-lowest pressure rate (16.5 percent).
To their credit, the front office is at least throwing resources at the problem. In last year's draft, they invested second- and third-round picks on edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. And this offseason, they spent big on free-agent linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd.
However, it's still too early to judge Scourton and Umanmielen, and there's no guarantee that Phillips will be a real difference-maker for the Panthers in the trenches.
If he isn't, then Carolina just signed one of the worst contracts in the league. According to Brad Gagnon at Bleacher Report, it's the 10th-worst deal in the NFL right now:
To be fair, Phillips has shown tantalizing potential in the past—posting 8.5 sacks in his rookie season with the Dolphins and 6.5 sacks in just eight games before his 2023 campaign ended early due to injury. If he can get back to that level, it will go a long way towards solving Carolina's biggest problem on defense.
However, the trend isn't good for Phillips, who managed just 5.0 sacks last season between Miami and Philadelphia—despite playing a full 17 games.
Phillips has to produce like a Pro Bowler for the Panthers, or else his deal will certainly go down as a devastating one.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' Jaelan Phillips pact ranked amongst NFL's 10 worst deals
Continue reading...
Carolina has not had a quality pass rush in several years. In 2025, the unit tied for the third-fewest sacks (30) and, by Pro Football Reference's measures, the second-lowest pressure rate (16.5 percent).
To their credit, the front office is at least throwing resources at the problem. In last year's draft, they invested second- and third-round picks on edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. And this offseason, they spent big on free-agent linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd.
However, it's still too early to judge Scourton and Umanmielen, and there's no guarantee that Phillips will be a real difference-maker for the Panthers in the trenches.
If he isn't, then Carolina just signed one of the worst contracts in the league. According to Brad Gagnon at Bleacher Report, it's the 10th-worst deal in the NFL right now:
To be fair, Phillips has shown tantalizing potential in the past—posting 8.5 sacks in his rookie season with the Dolphins and 6.5 sacks in just eight games before his 2023 campaign ended early due to injury. If he can get back to that level, it will go a long way towards solving Carolina's biggest problem on defense.
However, the trend isn't good for Phillips, who managed just 5.0 sacks last season between Miami and Philadelphia—despite playing a full 17 games.
Phillips has to produce like a Pro Bowler for the Panthers, or else his deal will certainly go down as a devastating one.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' Jaelan Phillips pact ranked amongst NFL's 10 worst deals
Continue reading...
