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NFL free agency: Panthers should get more credit for low-key bargain at edge

Panthers’ GM Dan Morgan was very busy during the first few day of free agency. They may have come up with quite a find when it comes to fixing their pass rush
Russell Baxter|
Nov 13, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Patrick Jones II (91) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Patrick Jones II (91) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

It was hardly a surprise that the Carolina Panthers came out of the gates fast when it came to free agency. Their defense in 2024 was historically bad. One of the biggest shortcomings was a pass rush that has really been an issue for two consecutive seasons. In 2023, the Panthers finished with an NFL-low 27 sacks. This past season, there was only slight improvement as coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit got to opposing quarterbacks 32 times. However, that disappointing total was tied for the third-lowest in the league.

Enter former third-round draft choice Patrick Jones II, who spent the past four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. The 90th overall pick in 2021 from the University of Pittsburgh played in 57 regular-season contests for the Purple Gang the past four years, as well as a playoff game in 2022. He made quite the impression in what proved to be his final campaign with the Vikings, and now heads to Charlotte to join Dave Canales’s team at what appears to be a very reasonable price.

Jones played in all 17 contests in 2023, and made four starts. He finished with 31 defensive stops and one sack. This past season, he put up career numbers in only 15 appearances. There were 39 tackles, seven QB traps, and one forced fumble. He totaled a dozen quarterback hits, the fourth-highest total on Brian Flores’s defensive unit.

On the otehr hand, those aforementioned seven sacks not only ranked third on the Vikings behind Pro Bowlers Jonathan Greenard (12.0) and Andrew Van Ginkel (11.5), that total have led the Panthers in that category. Veterans Jadeveon Clowney and A’Shawn Robinson both tied for the lead in Carolina with 5.5 sacks.

Morgan could still opt to use the eighth overall pick in April on pass-rushing help. However, he and the Panthers may have found a free-agent steal who may be ready to blossom in 2025.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.