What PFF might have wrong about the Carolina Panthers' 2025 starting lineup

At some point in the offseason incoming linebacker Christian Rozeboom convinced Trevin Wallace to give up his jersey number, so he'll be taking over at No. 56 for the Carolina Panthers this year. Wallace (now wearing No. 32) might want to keep an eye over his shoulder, because Rozeboom could also be coming for his spot in the starting lineup for Carolina's defense.

It's a distinct possibility, even if a lot of folks are still expecting Wallace to start at the other off-ball linebacker position with Josey Jewell, the same as it was before a shoulder injury ended Wallace's season early in December.

Trevor Sikkema at Pro Football Focus, for one, is expecting that Wallace will start opposite Jewell - and that they'll be bad enough for the Panthers to address this spot in the 2026 NFL draft.

"With Shaq Thompson no longer on the roster, the Panthers will be starting Josey Jewell and Trevin Wallace once again in 2025. Both struggled as the starters last year, posting 56.5 and 56.0 PFF overall grades, respectively. Jewell and Wallace still have a few years left on their contracts, but there is an out in Jewell’s deal next offseason. Carolina added a ton of defensive talent over the past few months, and if the linebackers don't look better, they’ll prioritize a new approach with that group."

The Panthers might want to draft a linebacker at some point next year no matter what happens with this current group. However, we think it might be a mistake to assume Wallace is going to regain his starting spot now that he has to compete with Rozeboom.

For the uninitiated, Rozeboom had a rough start to the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Rams. However, like Bryce Young he came on very strong in the second half, trending up going into the offseason and then landing a one-year deal with the Panthers.

While Rozeboom's deal is only worth $2.5 million - the kind of money you normally pay a backup inside linebacker - there's a real chance he could end up outplaying Wallace and taking his spot.

For one thing, Rozeboom has a lot more experience at the NFL level, having come into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Rams back in 2020. Rozeboom has 61 games and 16 career starts under his belt compared to just 13 games and eight starts for Wallace - who spend the last leg of the season on the sidelines while Rozeboom was blowing up and turning heads.