Despite finishing the season with just five wins, the 2024 campaign ended on a high note for Carolina Panthers fans thanks to the play of quarterback Bryce Young down the stretch.
After a disastrous start to the season resulted in a benching after two games, it looked like all hope was lost for Young. The 2023 first overall pick returned as the starter in Week 8 and started the last 10 games of the season, including a three-game stretch to end the season where he recorded 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Last offseason was about giving Young the complementary pieces on offense that he needed to find success in year two. While it was a roller coaster, Young’s play to close out the season proved that this strategy paid dividends.
Now, the focus shifts towards rebuilding a defense that allowed 31.4 points per game last season, the worst in the NFL. Carolina has taken steps to doing that so far this offseason by making four additions along with signing CB Jaycee Horn to an extension.
The most expensive of the additions was former Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig, who signed a three-year deal for $51M. This is money well spent, as Moehrig, who recorded six interceptions and 29 passes defended in four seasons with the Raiders, is a sure tackler and has strong instincts in coverage.
Carolina’s secondary still has a few holes to fill, but with Moehrig’s addition and Horn’s extension, it now has two cornerstone pieces that the Panthers can build the unit around in the coming years.
As for the defensive line, Carolina already has its cornerstone piece on the roster in Derrick Brown, who will be returning after a knee injury in Week 1 sidelined him for the rest of the season last year.
The Panthers made two additions in an attempt to make the interior defensive line rotation led by Brown a real strength for the defense next season.
After coming up just short in its attempt to land Milton Williams, Carolina inked two defensive tackles to three-year deals. Former Kansas City Chief Tershawn Wharton signed for $45M and former Los Angeles Ram Bobby Brown signed for $21M.
Wharton and Brown complement each other well, as Wharton provides Carolina with a solid pass-rusher who will be particularly valuable on third downs and obvious passing situations, while Brown gives the unit a run-stuffer who is effective on early downs.
Carolina also made an addition to its edge-rusher rotation by signing former Minnesota Viking Patrick Jones to a two-year deal for $20M. Jones has recorded 12 sacks over the last three seasons for Minnesota, with seven sacks last season.
The Panthers will also have the option to add more pass-rush juice to their edge-rusher rotation with the eighth overall pick in April’s draft, as players like Shemar Stewart, Mike Green and Mykel Williams are all potential targets for Carolina.
While the Panthers still have more holes to fill before the defense can be considered a strength, the unit is headed in the right direction with its recent additions.