NFL analyst's pick for Carolina Panthers' worst starter points to unfinished business

For the most part, the Carolina Panthers front office did a good job rebuilding their defense this offseason. Up front they've surrounded Derrick Brown with more talent, on the edge they've got two new young sharpshooters and on the back end they landed a big safety upgrade with Tre'von Moehrig and a potential undrafted gem with Corey Thornton.

However, with just two days to go before the regular season begins there are still a few glaring roster holes on this side of the ball. It wouldn't be fair to blame them for the absence of middle linebacker Josey Jewell, but the other major missing piece on defense points to unfinished offseason business from GM Dan Morgan.

According to an analysis by Andrew Buller-Russ at Sportsnaut, Carolina's worst starter going into the regular season is safety Nick Scott.

Sportsnaut on Panthers DB Nick Scott

"He wasn’t good enough to start more than four games last season, but he’s projected to assume a full-time role with the first-team defense in 2025. Though, the Panthers also spent a fourth-round pick on safety Lathan Ransom, which indicates they’re hoping for growth at the position in the near future. After tying for having the 22nd-worst passer rating allowed (123.5) in 2024, Scott will need to be much better if he wants to keep his job for the full season ahead."

The Panthers did sniff around several proven free agent safeties this offseason, including Justin Simmons and Julian Blackmon, but in the end they didn't sign any of them - despite having plenty of salary cap space.

And so, Nick Scott is an obvious choice for the Panthers' worst starter this year - because he really should be coming off the bench.

Given the reins, we'd still prefer to sign a proven free safety to pair with Moehrig, but if we're limited to options that are already on the roster then it should be rookie Lathan Ransom. He may not be much better than Scott as a rookie, but he deserves time to grow - whereas giving Scott major playing time isn't likely to accomplish anything.

While we're at it, the Panthers could still use a replacement for Jewell and their failed pursuit of Trey Hendrickson proves they know they need more firepower on the edge, especially after releasing Jadeveon Clowney.

If we are right that these are three significant holes, we won't have to wait long to find out. The Jaguars ranked 25th in yards and 26th in scoring last season. If they can put up 25 points or more in Week 1 it will be a clear sign that more work needs to be done on defense.