The Carolina Panthers have poured real money into fixing their defense, but the bet still comes with plenty of danger attached.
That matters in Carolina more than most places. This franchise has usually been at its best when the defense is carrying the load, and the ugly truth is that unit has been stuck in the mud for a while now. It has not been above-average in more than half a decade, and in recent seasons it has lived near the bottom of the league.
So the Panthers went shopping. They added several players in 2024 and 2025, then made an even bigger push after the 2025 season by bringing in what might have been the two best free-agent defenders available: Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd.
On paper, that looks like the kind of aggressive move a defense-starved team has to make. Phillips and Lloyd were among the best players on the market at positions Carolina badly needed to upgrade. The problem is that neither comes without a warning label.
Phillips has long been a disruptive presence off the edge, but the sack totals have never quite matched the pressure numbers. He has never reached double-digit sacks in a season, and health concerns add another layer of uncertainty.
The production question is the bigger one. Pressures matter, but sacks are the currency that changes games.
Lloyd brings a different kind of gamble. He was a second-team All-Pro last season and had a real breakout, but Jacksonville still did not re-sign him and previously did not even pick up his fifth-year option. That says plenty about how the Jaguars viewed the long-term certainty there.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport captured the risk well, writing, "Phillips has never had more than 8.5 sacks in a season, and that was his rookie year in 2021. Lloyd picked off five passes and made the Pro Bowl last year, but he barely topped 80 total tackles."
He added, "Big bucks don't equal sure bets, and if those acquisitions don't pay off then the Panthers could easily have the same issues defensively they did a year ago when they ranked in the bottom-half of the league in more statistical categories than not."
That’s the heart of it. Carolina had to invest, and it did.
Phillips and Lloyd are premium players at premium spots, and both fill glaring needs. Phillips’ pressure should help every other rusher on the line, while Lloyd’s coverage ability should give Ejiro Evero more flexibility.
But there is still a very real path where this does not work out the way the money suggests it should.
Even then, the Panthers would probably be better than they were last season. Phillips and Lloyd, at their floor, are still an upgrade over DJ Wonnum and Christian Rozeboom. The issue is whether that upgrade is enough to match the size of the investment.
If these moves hit, Carolina’s defense can take a real step. If they miss, the Panthers may be staring at a unit that looks a lot too familiar for all the spending.
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Pickett still looks like the safest bet to handle the No. 2 role, but the Panthers have more going on than just that pecking order. Kings development gives the team a useful wild card, and Grier is hanging around as the long-shot option in a room that could get squeezed once roster decisions start tightening elsewhere. Even if the backup spot seems to have a clear front-runner, there is still enough movement here to keep the quarterback picture worth watching through the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]
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For now, the bigger takeaway is that Freeling looks like a long-term investment rather than a quick fix. Carolina sees him as a developmental piece who could grow into either tackle job down the line, especially with the current starters moving toward future contract decisions, but that also means fans hoping for an instant fix may need to wait. [Read more 🡒]
49ers May Have A Tough QB Decision Before The Deadline
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For Carolina, the interest is obvious enough to keep in mind whenever the Panthers' quarterback conversation comes up. If they decide Bryce Young is not the long-term answer, Jones profiles as the kind of passer a club could try to build around instead of simply patching the position for a season, which is why this is the sort of situation worth tracking as the deadline gets closer. [Read more 🡒]