Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) runs against Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers Projected to Re-Sign 2 Terrible Defenders

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Jan 31, 2026 6:00 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers had a few holes in their much-improved defense last year. Namely, the edge, linebacker, and safety spots needed a talent infusion that just never came.

The Panthers tried to get veterans on cheap deals to fill those holes, namely putting Christian Rozeboom at linebacker and Nick Scott at safety opposite Tre'von Moehrig.

Neither move panned out. Scott got picked on in coverage plenty, especially by Puka Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams in the playoff loss earlier in January.

Rozeboom also got picked on, and he was one of the worst coverage defenders in the entire sport in the middle of that Panthers defense. He was solid against the run with well over 100 tackles, but he was overall a negative contributor.

Unfortunately, team insider David Newton believes both will be back next season to continue to fluster Panthers fans and not opposing playmakers.

"As well as Rozeboom played against the run, leading the team with 122 tackles, he was a detriment in pass coverage. Retaining him makes sense only if it's a team-friendly deal," Newton wrote. "Scott had a career-high 111 tackles in 17 starts, but the Panthers need more speed on the back end. Re-signing him for a rotational role makes sense."

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Of course, team-friendly deals and rotational roles aren't the end of the world, but it's probably fair to say most Panthers fans want both of them as far away from Bank of America Stadium as possible.

The idea that an injury could force Scott back to the starting lineup is terrifying, and with how many linebacker injuries there were, Rozeboom would probably play a big role in 2026, no matter what.

The Panthers can and should try to avoid spending big on every position, so finding cheap deals for veterans at those spots is a wise endeavor.

However, they should target some players they don't know about yet. They know Rozeboom and Scott are not good football players, so even on cheap, backup deals, they should not re-sign them.

Instead, GM Dan Morgan and the rest of the front office can pursue external free agents for cheap replacements to see if those work any better. It's hard to imagine someone like Germaine Pratt or Julian Blackmon being worse.

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

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