Carolina Panthers’ defense may be getting big boost vs. Patriots in Week 4

It’s been an interesting first three weeks for Dave Canales’s club. The Carolina Panthers have gone from giving up 200 yards rushing and being pushed around by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-10, in Week 1 to posting the franchise’s first shutout victory since 2020 last Sunday—blanking the rival Atlanta Falcons, 30-0.

This offseason, Panthers’ general managed Dan Morgan used free agency to bolster a shaky defensive line. He plucked defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton away from the Kansas City Chiefs. The two-time Super Bowl champion inked a three-year, $45.05 million deal with Carolina (via Spotrac).

Unfortunately for the 27-year-old pro, Wharton’s debut with his new team lasted just 20 plays before he went down with a hamstring injury. In that brief time, he came up with four tackles. While he missed the team’s clashes with the Cardinals and Falcons, he might be available for Sunday’s clash with the New England Patriots at Foxborough.

Turk Wharton practiced for the first time since Week 1 on Thursday. The defensive lineman, who the #Panthers acquired in free agency, is “itching” to get back out there, per Canales.

He’s officially listed as questionable for the #Patriots game. More: pic.twitter.com/wPjg2Vl86w
— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) September 26, 2025

A healthy Tershawn Wharton would bolster the Panthers’ defense

That could be a big might as Wharton has been “limited” in practice. His return would aid Ejiro Evero’s unit in many ways, especially when it comes to a pass rush that has totaled only one sack in three games. That lone QB trap belongs to rookie Princely Umanmielen, who continues to receive guidance from a defender who totaled a career-best 6.5 sacks in his final season with the Chiefs in 2024.

“When we’re rushing in the game,” explained Umanmielen (via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com), “things I do affect him, and things he does affect me. So that’s what he was really telling, like giving me insight about ways that we can help each other.”

“He’s one of the best,” added the 2025 third-round pick, “and has really kind of been like taking me under his wing, like, trying to show me the ropes and trying to show me ways to be a better professional with things like that. So it’s not something out of the ordinary. He does that on a pretty consistent basis. It’s just pretty cool just to have a guy like that, that really cares about your development.”

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