How the Panthers Getting Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd is a Minor Miracle

Recently, longtime NFL writer Mike Sando of The Athletic penned a piece in which he chose his favorite move by each of the 32 teams in the league. Keep in mind that this came in the final days of May and before Monday’s startling series of events in which Myles Garrett went from the Browns to the Rams, Jared Verse went from the Rams and the Browns, and former Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown finally became a member of the New England Patriots.

Of course, the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers were not involved in any of those high-profile trades. While those deals all took place on the first day of June, Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan grabbed two talented defensive players during the early days of the NFL’s new fiscal year. Sando very adeptly points out what may be an overlooked aspect of Morgan’s early spending spree.

Carolina Panthers opened their checkbook early in free agency

“The Panthers dove headfirst into free agency by spending $30 million per year for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and $14 million annually for linebacker Devin Lloyd. That type of financial investment often signals a win-now mentality, but Phillips (age 26) and Lloyd (27) should be in Carolina for years to come. That makes sense for a team that won its division with an 8-9 record but probably isn’t a true contender right now.”

Sando states that the Panthers are “pushing hard to improve the defense without getting older.” And when you look at what the team has done in its last two drafts, it all makes perfect sense for a club that allowed the most total yards, most rushing yards, and most points in the league (534, an NFL single-season record) during head coach Dave Canales’s debut season with the club two years ago.

Youth is being served when it comes to the Panthers’ defense

While Morgan has added some experience in free agency with the recent signings of defensive tackles Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, as well as edge rusher Patrick Jones II, all in 2025, he’s also used the draft to address every aspect of this unit.

A year ago, it was pass rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, safety Lathan Ransom, and defensive tackle Cam Jackson. Two months ago, Morgan added defensive tackle Lee Hunter (2-Texas Tech), cornerback Will Lee III (4-Texas A&M), safety Zakee Wheatley (5b-Penn State), and linebacker Jackson Kuwatch (7-Miami, Ohio).

Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd were worthwhile free-agent investments

Devin Lloyd (1)
Jacksonville Jaguars
99 yards, Pick Six pic.twitter.com/I5SxCtmh1W
— NFL Touchdown Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) October 7, 2025

Let’s not bury the lead. Phillips was a first-round pick by the Dolphins in 2021 and got off to a good start, but injuries caused him to miss the vast majority of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He remained healthy this past season, was eventually dealt to the Eagles, and made a difference in Philadelphia. Phillips and Scourton could be a major pass-rushing duo in 2026.

Lloyd was the 27th overall pick in 2022 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and had some ups and downs, but in 2025 he was named to his first Pro Bowl and was a huge part of the team’s surprising season.

All told, this is a defense that figures to take some more steps forward, as was the case this past season. And if both Phillips and Lloyd deliver, it figures to be money well spent for a team that despite last year’s division title, hasn’t had a winning season since 2017 and a playoff victory since 2015.

Add us as a preferred source on Google