Patrick Jones II claims Panthers could be better than elite Vikings pass rush

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings' pass rush was so good that Pat Jones II recorded seven sacks in just 15 games with one start to his name. The Carolina Panthers are hoping his incredible success rate translates with more playing time in Carolina.

Jones II will be one of four pass rushers who figure to play a lot following the release of Jadeveon Clowney. Jones, fellow former Viking DJ Wonnum, and rookies Princely Umanmielen and Nic Scourton will all see the field plenty. According to Jones, they could do really well.

The former Viking believes that the Panthers are poised to make a huge leap in pass rushing success, like the Vikings did the year before last. "I definitely think we could do something similar, if not better," Jones said via ESPN. "I've seen it before, so I know what it looks like. I look around the building and see we have exactly what it takes to do that."

The Vikings were 25th in sacks in 2023 before jumping to fourth in 2024. The Panthers were tied for last in 2024, and now they could jump up pretty high like Minnesota did. Jones, Umanmielen, Scourton, and a full season of Wonnum is probably the best overall pass-rushing group this team has had in a while.

The Panthers can really only go up in terms of QB pressure and sacks, but there are reasons on the roster to believe they'll do more than just improve by default. This could be, as Jones alluded to, a special group that terrorizes opposing