The Carolina Panthers’ defense has come a long way since that brutal opening Sunday.
Back in Week 1, Chicago walked into Bank of America Stadium and lit up Dave Canales’s team for 59 points in a 22-point road win. The Panthers and Bears combined for 96 points, but it was the Bears who delivered the knockout punch, piling up 552 yards of offense, 291 on the ground, and an eye-popping 7.9 yards per play. Chicago scored at least 14 points in every quarter, and Carolina’s 59 points allowed were the most in a game in franchise history.
That kind of collapse fit the ugly picture Carolina carried over from 2024, when the Panthers finished dead last in total defense and rushing defense by yards allowed. They also surrendered 534 points, the most in a single season in NFL history, and Ejiro Evero’s unit gave up 59 offensive touchdowns, including a league-high 35 through the air.
The front office responded hard. In the following offseason, general manager Dan Morgan added defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, pass rusher Patrick Jones II, and safety Tre’von Moehrig in free agency.
The draft brought in edge rushers Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). That mix helped Carolina climb to 16th in the NFL in fewest total yards allowed and 20th against the run.
Then came the 2026 offseason, and Morgan went even bigger. He signed edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal and landed 2025 Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd on a three-year, $42 million contract. In August, he also brought in former New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke.
Whatever the Panthers took away from that Week 1 beatdown, it’s shown up on the field. Over their last four games, they’ve allowed just 64 points and six offensive touchdowns while giving up 304.8 yards per game. Three of those four opponents were held under 300 total yards.
The run defense, in particular, has tightened up week by week. In those last four games, Carolina has allowed 157, 132, 46 and 35 rushing yards. The Panthers haven’t recorded a takeaway in their last two games, but they also haven’t turned it over in either of them.
Now the next test comes Sunday, when the NFC South leaders host the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In Other News...
Panthers Trade Talk Is Heating Up Around Bryce Youngs Biggest Need
The Panthers have steadied their season with a 3-2 start, and a big reason is the way Bryce Young has helped keep the offense moving. With the trade deadline drawing closer, the front office has reason to look at ways to give its quarterback a little more help, and tight end has emerged as one of the most obvious places to do it.
Dallas Goedert of the Eagles has surfaced as a name to watch, which fits the kind of move Carolina could justify if it wants to keep building around Young. The fit makes sense on paper, especially for an offense still searching for reliable answers in the middle of the field, but the real question is whether the Panthers decide to pay the price to make that upgrade happen. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Have A Big Question About Chasing Sauce Gardner
The idea of the Panthers chasing Sauce Gardner is the kind of conversation that pops up when a team starts looking for a bigger answer at cornerback. Gardner remains one of the leagues most recognizable young defenders, and his recent contract extension only adds another layer of difficulty to any potential pursuit. There is no indication he is actually on the market, and Carolina has not been linked to any inquiry, but the fit is easy enough to imagine for a defense that could use more impact on the back end.
Still, the price would be steep even before the Colts own investment in getting him is considered, which is why any talk of a deal lives more in the hypothetical than the immediate. Injuries also have to be part of the conversation, since availability matters as much as talent when weighing a move this ambitious. For Carolina, the question is less whether Gardner would help and more whether the timing, cost and uncertainty ever line up well enough to make such a swing realistic. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Trade Deadline Decision They Can't Ignore
With the trade deadline closing in, the Panthers are looking at a roster issue they can no longer brush aside. Injuries to Mike Jackson and Jaycee Horn have left Carolina thinner in the secondary, and while the offense has given Bryce Young enough support to keep the team competitive, the pass defense has settled in as a concern, sitting 19th in the league.
Donte Jackson and Keishon Nixon have come up as possible targets if Carolina decides to buy, and the fit is obvious enough to make the idea worth monitoring. The question now is whether the Panthers see this as the moment to patch a vulnerable position group or stay patient and trust the current mix, with no deal yet done and the deadline pressure only about to grow. [Read more 🡒]