PFF: Panthers have horrendous corps at one key position

There's not much to write home about in the middle of the Panthers defense.

Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell (47) reacts in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers, even after basically an entire offseason of acquisitions, still have one glaring hole on each side of the ball. On offense, it's tight end, where two unproven day-three draft picks will carry the load alongside underwhelming vet Tommy Tremble.

On defense, it's at linebacker, where the Panthers have virtually no one of note. It's a black hole in the middle of the defense, a position group that PFF says is easily one of the worst in the NFL, and it probably didn't get much better with any addition this offseason.

PFF rips Panthers abhorrent linebacker corps

Though only in part, the Panthers run defense being so bad was aided by a bad and thin linebacker corps. For all those who expect the team to be better in that area this year, PFF has bad news: the linebackers are still very bad. In fact, only two teams have worse linebacking in 2025.

"Given the plethora of additions to Carolina's defensive line and secondary, linebacker now seems to be the team's thinnest defensive unit. Veteran Josey Jewell leads the group, though he posted a career-low 56.5 PFF overall grade last season. Trevin Wallace played 582 snaps in his rookie season and recorded a similar 56.0 PFF overall grade," Dalton Wasserman said.

"Former Los Angeles Ram Christian Rozeboom offers experience but, similarly, below-average production. The Panthers need someone in the unit to step up to improve their porous run defense from last season," he concluded.

Wallace was a rookie last year and didn't play as much at the start of the year. More experience and better health in 2025 should lead to better play, but the bar is pretty much on the floor. That's true of the entire LB room for the 2025 season.

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