The Panthers’ defensive tackle room already has enough questions without adding another one, and that’s why Bobby Brown III has become a name worth watching.
Carolina has spent the last few months navigating a string of setbacks. Dave Canales’s team was hit hard by season-ending injuries to edge rusher Nic Scourton and rookie wideout Chris Brazzell II, while right tackle Taylor Moton has also dealt with medical issues. Before all of that, veteran defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton had neck surgery in May, leaving the interior of the defense thinner than the Panthers probably expected.
Wharton, who signed a three-year, $45.05 million deal with Carolina a year ago after winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs, missed four of the team’s first six games and then sat out the final five regular-season contests. He did make it back for the playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, logging 50 snaps in a 34-31 wild-card loss. The six-year veteran finished the season with 36 stops, two sacks and three quarterback hits, but he is still working his way back and there’s no clear timeline for his return.
That’s the backdrop for Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, who recently identified one player from every NFL team that should be available in trade talks. For Carolina, his pick was Brown, another 2025 free-agent addition brought in by general manager Dan Morgan.
Brown arrived from the Rams last offseason on a three-year, $21 million contract, but the early returns have been uneven. “Brown appeared in all 17 games last season,” explained Knox, “finishing with 31 tackles and a half-sack.
However, he only made five starts and was graded 80th overall among defensive linemen by Pro Football Focus. His long-term future became uncertain after the Panthers used a second-round pick on Lee Hunter, who is well suited for the nose tackle role."
Knox did note that Wharton’s “ongoing recovery from spring neck surgery clouds the defensive-line rotation a bit.” Even so, his view is that if Hunter proves himself this summer, moving Brown would make sense and could also create some cap relief for Carolina.
Hunter isn’t the only young body in the mix, either. Cam Jackson, a second-year defensive tackle and 2025 fifth-round pick, played in just nine regular-season games without a start.
He totaled nine tackles, but did come up with a blocked field goal in the Week 18 loss at Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-6, 328-pound former Florida standout also saw action in the playoff game against the Rams, though he didn’t record a tackle.
For now, though, Brown probably isn’t a player the Panthers should rush to shop unless an offer is too good to turn down. There’s still plenty of time before September 13, and Carolina’s situation could look very different by then.
In Other News...
Bryce Young Got Caught Up In Panthers Camp Tension
Training camp ramped up the way it often does in August, with the Carolina Panthers putting on full pads and the temperature of practice climbing along with the intensity. During the Aug. 10 session, quarterback Bryce Young ended up in the middle of a physical confrontation after a play in which safety Lathan Ransom went in on running back Jonathon Brooks, turning a routine camp snap into a brief skirmish that drew in cornerback Mike Jackson and an offensive lineman.
For the Panthers, the scene fit the tenor of a practice Dave Canales described as physical and competitive, even if he declined to get into the specifics of what set it off. Nick Scott downplayed the incident as the kind of thing that happens when camp gets chippy, but it still offered another reminder of how tightly wound these reps can become when a team is trying to sort out its edge and its identity in front of a packed roster. [Read more 🡒]
Former Panthers Center Cade Mays Hit With Another Tough Setback
Cade Mays first season with the Lions has hit an early snag, with the former Panthers center dealing with a wrist injury that will keep him out for a while. Mays signed a three-year contract with Detroit this offseason after previous stops with Carolina and the Giants, giving the Lions a veteran option up front and a familiar face for Panthers fans who tracked his path through the league.
Now, though, the move is on pause after an injury that figures to sideline him for a significant stretch. Dan Campbell said Mays is expected back later this season, but the immediate outlook is far more uncertain, leaving Detroit to adjust without him and keeping the wait going for a player whose next chapter had just begun. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Rookie Haynes King Suddenly Has A Bigger Role At Stake
Haynes Kings first taste of NFL action gave the Panthers something to think about, even as the rookie quarterback came away with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the next preseason game. Carolina has already seen enough to notice the upside, though, after Dave Canales praised Kings development and the versatility he showed in his debut. For a quarterback trying to carve out a place on a roster, those are the kinds of early signs that can matter as much as any box score.
The question now is less about whether King can handle a standard quarterback job and more about how Carolina might use him if he keeps progressing. ESPNs Adam Schefter suggested King has a real path to the 53-man roster, with the possibility of a more varied role once the regular season begins. For a team still shaping the back end of its roster, that kind of flexibility can be valuable, and it leaves King with more than just recovery on his plate when he gets back on the field. [Read more 🡒]