Dan Morgan reveals offseason plan to begin rebuild of Panthers defense

Carolina's offseason plan on defense starts up front.

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The Carolina Panthers need help on defense. A lot of it.

That is no secret to anyone who watched even a quarter of Panthers football in 2025 as team's atrocious defensive unit finished the 2024-25 campaign as the worst unit in the history of professional football. A sickening number of injuries, significant talent drain from the competent 2023-24 defense, and questionable schematic choices all played a role in Ejiro Evero's unit falling flat on its face.

As we steamroll towards the opening of NFL free agency on March 12th, Carolina's plan to rebuild their defense has come into clear view. Dan Morgan, the Panthers' General Manager, spoke to assembled media at the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis and revealed his plan to begin reshaping the face of his woebegone defense.

Morgan: "We're looking to build that defensive line"

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"I think both sides of the ball you need to win the line of scrimmage. You have to be bigger. You have to be tougher. You have to be more physical. And that's what we're looking to do around here. We're looking to build that defensive line like we built the offensive line last season. Give the fans a good product on the field, give all of us a good product on the field, and we're excited about the guys in free agency. We're excited about the guys in the draft, and we think we can fill some of those holes."

Morgan was asked a question about how the dominance of the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive front affects his view of team building, and he unleashed an answer that many saw coming.

In his first offseason as the Panthers' shot caller, Morgan transformed the franchise's offensive line by signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to exorbitant contracts. His team doesn't have as much financial freedom in 2025, but it's safe to expect a big splash on the defensive front to complement his moves from last spring.

"Obviously where your resources go is where you see the value. I think it's pretty obvious that the offensive and defensive fronts have to be strong in this league or you really don't have a chance. We have to make sure that we stay strong on the offensive side of the ball and we have to build it the right way on the defensive side of the ball."

Expect Morgan to spend the brunt of his time checking out the EDGE players in Indianapolis for the Combine this week. Highly touted prospects like James Pearce Jr., Shemar Stewart, and Jalon Walker, among others, have been mocked to Carolina in recent draft projections, and if Morgan is a man of his word, it is likely one of them will be walking across the stage at the NFL Draft in April donning a Process Blue ball cap.

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