Calling the Carolina Panthers’ 2025 defense “mid” might actually be generous.
A year after surrendering a single-season NFL record 534 points in 2024, Carolina made a massive jump last season. The Panthers climbed to 16th in total defense while winning their first NFC South title in a decade, a clear step forward from the unit that finished 32nd the year before.
There’s real momentum here, and the offseason additions only add to that feeling. But as 2026 training camp approaches, every level of the defense still has a question mark hanging over it.
Up front, the biggest issue is simple: who joins Derrick Brown in making life miserable for opposing offenses?
Brown was a huge reason Carolina improved last season, even though he missed 16 of 17 games in 2024. The problem is that he can’t keep carrying the whole line by himself.
With A’Shawn Robinson gone and Tershawn Wharton dealing with a neck injury that is expected to cost him time into the regular season, the depth looks thin. The Panthers can line up Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, LaBryan Ray, 2026 second-round pick Lee Hunter and undrafted rookie Aaron Hall, but if that’s the group, somebody is going to have to outplay expectations.
On the edge, the top of the rotation looks much more settled. Jaelan Phillips was the headliner of Carolina’s offseason, landing on a four-year, $120 million deal as free agency’s biggest prize.
He’ll start alongside Nic Scourton, whose 5.0 sacks as a rookie in 2025 tied for the team lead. That gives the Panthers a strong starting pair, but they’ll need more than just those two to keep the pass rush from stalling out.
That’s where Pat Jones II and Princely Umanmielen come in. Jones arrived last spring, while Umanmielen was a 2025 third-round pick.
Together, they produced only 2.5 sacks last season, with Jones missing the final 13 games because of a back injury and Umanmielen seeing limited chances to get after quarterbacks. If Carolina wants Phillips and Scourton fresh and wants to improve one of the league’s weakest pass rushes, one or both of those backups has to matter.
Inside linebacker brings another unresolved battle. Devin Lloyd, Carolina’s other major addition, gives the defense a real difference-maker in the middle.
He was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2025 and looks like the most talented linebacker the franchise has had since Luke Kuechly. The question is who lines up next to him.
Trevin Wallace hasn’t locked that job down. Like Xavier Legette, another 2024 draftee who hasn’t fully seized his chances, Wallace has had trouble against the run, hasn’t been dependable in coverage and has already seen both of his first two seasons end early because of shoulder injuries.
The depth chart behind him isn’t exactly stacked, so he may get a longer runway than he deserves. Still, if he keeps underwhelming, how long does Carolina keep waiting?
Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott and 2026 sixth-round pick Jackson Kuwatch are the other names in the mix.
The secondary has its own puzzle, and it starts in the slot. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson give Carolina one of the league’s better cornerback tandems, but the spot between them remains unsettled. Corey Thornton and Chau Smith-Wade are the leading candidates to handle nickel duties, and Thornton has a strong case after head coach Dave Canales said he had actually won the job in the middle of his rookie season in 2025 before a season-ending fibula fracture knocked him out.
Smith-Wade’s work at safety during spring workouts only helps Thornton’s case. For now, he looks like the favorite. The only question is whether he can keep the job.
At safety, Nick Scott appears set to start again alongside Tre’von Moehrig. Despite the skepticism around him, Scott had a decent 2025 and wouldn’t be an outrageous choice to open the season. But if Carolina wants more play-making from the back end, there’s room for change.
Lathan Ransom, a 2025 fourth-round pick, and 2026 fifth-rounder Zakee Wheatley both bring better ball skills than Scott. If the Panthers want more game-changing moments from the safety spot, one of the younger options may eventually force the issue.
In Other News...
Bryce Young Debate Just Took Another Turn For Panthers Fans
Bryce Youngs future in Carolina has been one of the leagues most debated quarterback topics, and the conversation got another push this week when former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney voiced confidence in the former No. 1 pick. Youngs record as a starter has left plenty of room for skepticism, but he has also piled up more than 8,000 passing yards and 49 touchdowns since arriving in Carolina, enough production to keep the argument alive about what he can become with the right support around him.
Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik added to that optimism by pointing to Youngs competitiveness and his ability to deliver in critical moments. Even with the questions that still follow him, Youngs first appearance on the NFLs Top 100 list at No. 98 suggests the league is starting to take notice of his progress. The bigger issue now is whether Carolina sees enough consistency to make a longer-term commitment, or whether this remains a wait-and-see situation heading into the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Just Got Linked To A Bryce Young Backup Plan
Bryce Youngs uneven start has kept the Panthers in the conversation any time quarterback speculation comes up, and the latest round of chatter points to Carolina once again being linked to a possible backup plan. The idea is not hard to understand: the franchise still needs to sort out what it has at the position, and any hint of another young quarterback with upside is going to draw attention.
One name being floated around the league is a former top pick whose tools still intrigue evaluators even though the results have been mixed. The appeal is obvious for a team that is still searching for stability under center, but the real question is whether Carolina would see enough value to make a move and try to unlock a different kind of talent than the one already in the room. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Is Giving Panthers Fans Real Hope For 2026
Bryce Youngs rise has given Carolina something it has not had in a while: real reason to look past the present and imagine a better 2026. Since returning to the starting lineup in the middle of the 2024 season, Young has trended upward, and the Panthers have ridden that improvement all the way to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first NFC South title since 2015.
The optimism is easy to understand, because Young looks like a quarterback whose best football may still be ahead of him. Still, the next step is about more than flashes, and the questions around consistency have not disappeared, especially with his limited history of big-yardage outings. If he keeps building on this stretch, Carolinas outlook gets a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]