The Carolina Panthers’ defense has come a long way from the nightmare that was 2024, but the real question is whether the upgrades are finally turning into something sturdy.
A year ago, Carolina was buried by the numbers. The Panthers gave up 6,877 total yards in 17 games, the second-most in a single season in league finals. They also allowed 59 offensive touchdowns, including 24 on the ground and 35 through the air, and surrendered 534 points, the most ever in an NFL season.
General manager Dan Morgan went to work after that, adding help in 2025 through free agency and the draft. The new arrivals included defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown, along with pass rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, Carolina’s second- and third-round picks, respectively.
Even with those additions, the Panthers still had a problem stopping the run, and that weakness showed up again late in the 2025 season. So Morgan kept pressing, spending heavily this offseason on edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who got a four-year, $120 million deal, and 2025 Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd, who signed for three years and $42 million. Veteran linebacker Bobby Okereke also joined the mix in late August.
Two games into the regular season, that trio has already made an imprint.
The first week was rough. In a 59-37 home loss to the Chicago Bears, Ejiro Evero’s defense was hammered for 552 total yards and eight offensive touchdowns.
Lloyd did pile up 13 tackles, but Carolina still got ripped for 291 rushing yards, and the former Jaguars first-round pick didn’t have a true impact play. Okereke added six tackles and a forced fumble, while Phillips recorded three stops and one of the Panthers’ two sacks of Caleb Williams.
Then came Atlanta.
Lloyd answered with a monster performance in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, finishing with nine tackles, one sack, two interceptions - one of them returned for a touchdown - and three passes defensed. Okereke matched him with nine tackles and a pick, and Phillips posted a sack for the second straight game. Carolina’s defense held Atlanta to 286 total yards, forced five turnovers, and helped fuel a 34-3 victory.
Through two weeks, the Panthers lead the league with six takeaways.
That’s the encouraging part. The less tidy part is that Evero’s group still gave up 157 rushing yards to Atlanta, which means there’s plenty left to clean up before anyone can call this defense finished.
Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland is another test, and another chance for Carolina to prove these investments are moving the unit in the right direction.
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Panthers Open Against A Browns QB Drama That Could Get Louder
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The Browns now have a short week ahead of their next game, which could factor into how they handle the position moving forward. For the Panthers, it means preparing for a Cleveland team with an unsettled quarterback situation hanging over it, and possibly one more headline waiting to surface after this one. [Read more 🡒]