Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen (1) reacts during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

What is the Carolina Panthers’ most important position battle in 2025?

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 12:27 PM ET

Only the New England Patriots (28) and Atlanta Falcons (31) totaled fewer sacks in the league this past season than the Carolina Panthers. To make matter worse, their 32 quarterback traps in 2024 was actually an improvement from the previous year, when the club finished dead last in the NFL with a mere 27 sacks.

Do the math, which isn’t hard. The Panthers have dropped opposing quarterbacks a combined 59 times in 34 games dating back to 2023. That’s four less than the Denver Broncos (63) in leading the league in this category this past season.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report revealed his pick for the most important position battle when it comes to each of the NFL’s 32 teams. When it came to Dave Canales’s club, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit was front and center, and the emphasis was on the aforementioned shortcoming.

“The Panthers are going to have a hard time being a serious NFL defense if they don't get a significant improvement in the pass-rush department. They were dead last in pressure percentage (via Pro Football Reference) last season (16.2 percent). The moves they made this offseason give them some hope, but they don't equate to a concrete plan yet.”

General manager Dan Morgan addressed the league’s worst defense in 2024 in free agency and the draft this offseason. “The interior should help matters with the additions of Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III,” added Ballentine, “but that still counts on free agents Patrick Jones II, and rookies Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen making an immediate impact. Both were ranked much higher on our big board than where they were selected, but they are both going to have to hit for the Panthers' pass rush to improve.”

The last time Carolina totaled at least 40 sacks in a season was in 2019 (53). Only the Falcons (141) and Jacksonville Jaguars (159) have amassed fewer QB traps than the Panthers (162) since 2020. Hopefully for Carolina, the team has found some consistent solutions that will come up big sooner than later.

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

More must-reads: