Much-maligned Panthers DB has been way better than you think

At some point during virtually every Carolina Panthers game, you have probably found yourself grumbling about Nick Scott. The much-maligned safety has seemingly been out of position a lot or has failed to make a play. The eye test has often let him down.

But that's why stats are so helpful. Sometimes, the eye test, especially for fans, is unreliable. On occasion, advanced metrics help make sense of things and lend more clarity. In the case of Scott, they make him look like a much better safety than any of us would've guessed.

It's time to give Nick Scott some respect

Nick Scott was an afterthought in the Panthers' secondary, landing a starting safety spot because Lathan Ransom was a fourth-round rookie and there was no one else. As it turns out, he might be pretty good.

Nick Scott is either leading or near the Top10 in almost every coverage stat for safeties pic.twitter.com/W8reAUUh5r
— Slick Wick (@dacornerman) October 23, 2025

In coverage, Scott has given up just 15 yards and an average of five yards per catch. That's the lowest among safeties, leading superstars like Julian Love, Talanoa Hafunga, Quandre Diggs, Kerby Joseph, Kyle Hamilton, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

In FI%, the safety leads all his counterparts once again at 40%. Brian Branch, Camren Kinchens, and Xavier McKinney are some notable names he leads. He's been pretty excellent in pass coverage, which is crucial for the Panthers.

Tre'von Moehrig was brought in at safety to help the run defense, which he has. He was a highly-graded run defender in Las Vegas, and that has translated over. Unfortunately, he is not very good in coverage.

So in order to ensure the Panthers do have someone deep down the field that can make a play over the top, Scott got the nod alongside Moehrig to diversify the safety room. Ransom is a similar player to Moehrig, which when combined with these metrics, is a clear reason why Scott got the job over Ransom.

Put simply, Ejiro Evero has figured out how best to use his players in the back end, and Scott has made good on a very controversial decision and turned things around after a bit of a slow start in 2025.

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