How Panthers' Derrick Brown Can Continue to Ascend DL Ranks

The Carolina Panthers’ 2026 preseason got off to a thrilling start via a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio. Not surprisingly, Dave Canales’s club sat numerous starters and veterans, including Carolina’s best interior defender.

The Carolina Panthers’ defense was a disaster in 2024

Derrick Brown Week 1 2024 — USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Flashback to 2024. During a 47-10 Week 1 loss to the Saints at the Superdome, Derrick Brown injured his knee during the contest. It ended the season for the 2023 Pro Bowler, and the Panthers felt the impact of his loss in a big way.

That afternoon, Carolina allowed 180 yards on the ground that afternoon. By season’s end, Ejiro Evero’s defensive unit gave up 200-plus yards rushing in each of their final six outings and a total of eight of their last 16 contests. Among other shortcomings, the Panthers were the NFL’s worst run defense that season, permitting opponents to run for 179.8 yards per game.

A healthy Derrick Brown made a huge difference this past season

DERRICK BROWN STRIPS MATTHEW STAFFORD AND THE PANTHERS RECOVER

WOW! pic.twitter.com/bgXfI49xPt
— The Sports Place (@offsportsplace) November 30, 2025

This past season, with Brown back in the starting lineup for all 17 regular-season games, Carolina allowed only 123.3 yards per game rushing—quite the improvement. The six-year pro finished fourth on the team with 73 tackles, tied for the club lead with five sacks, was third on Canales’s squad with seven passes defensed, and led the Panthers with 11 quarterback hits.

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus released its rankings for the league’s best interior defenders entering the 2026 season. Brown could be found at No. 12.

Derrick Brown — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Returning from injury in 2025,” wrote PFF’s Gordon McGuinness, “Brown didn’t quite hit the heights of the 2023 season that had him looking like a top-five player at the position, but he was still solid…He’s still only 28 years old, and if he can get back to that pre-injury form, then he’s better than this ranking.”

In ’23, the former Auburn University product was Pro Football Focus’ fourth-ranked interior defender, earning a career-best 90.1 mark. His PFF grade improved steadily from his rookie season in 2020 to his Pro Bowl campaign three years ago, when he finished second on the club with an impressive 103 tackles. Obviously, he barely saw the field in 2024, but his 72.9 grade this past season was the third-highest of his six-year career.

Can DL Derrick Brown regain his Pro Bowl form in 2026?

Now the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft will soon embark on his seventh pro campaign. As was the case this past season, he’s surrounded by the likes of Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, and second-year pro Cam Jackson.

There’s also intriguing 2026 second-round pick Lee Hunter, who could make Derrick Brown even more effective than he was in 2023. And that could put the 6’5”, 320-pound defender on the path to his second Pro Bowl invitation in four years.

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