Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Patrick Jones II (91) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) on third down late in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers desperately need one thing, analyst accurately claims

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Dave Canales’s team has won two straight games after a shaky 1-3 start. This past Sunday, the Carolina Panthers outlasted the Dallas Cowboys, 30-27. One week earlier, Canales’s club railed from a 17-0 second-quarter deficit to knock off the Miami Dolphins, 27-24.

The good news is that Panthers put a combined 57 points on the board the past two weeks. The bad news is that Ejiro Evero’s defensive unit allowed a combined six touchdown passes and failed to record an interception in either game.

The Panthers have a solid trio of cornerbacks in 2024 Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn, underrated Mike Jackson, and up-and-comer Chau Smith-Wade. Meanwhile, Carolina’s pass rush has produced a mere five sacks in six games this season. It’s little wonder that when listing every team’s biggest need ahead of the league’s trade deadline, Kevin Patra of NFL.com mentioned the pass rush.

“A run defense that was historically bad last year,” explained Patra, “has turned into an asset (thank you, Derrick Brown), but the Panthers need help affecting the quarterback. On Sunday, Carolina generated just seven QB pressures with zero sacks on 34 Dak Prescott pass attempts. Adding a playmaker on the outside would immensely help a secondary that has been picked on the past couple weeks.”

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan signed veterans such as defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton and linebacker Patrick Jones II in free agency. He used Day 2 draft choices in late April on edge rushers Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). The five sacks this season have come from Wharton, Jones, Umanmielen, and returning veterans A’Shawn Robinson and Derrick Brown.

Carolina’s rejuvenated ground attack has sparked an offensive turnaround the last two games. However, Canales’s team needs more help from a defense that has been held without a sack in three of their first six outings this season. Can Morgan find some help for a pass rush that totaled three sacks in the Week 5 win over the Dolphins and a combined two QB traps in its other five contests?

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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