Carolina Panthers' greatest defensive upgrade for 2025 was already in the building

The Carolina Panthers suffered one of the biggest blows any team sustained to their defense last year in Week 1. Following the game, superstar defensive tackle Derrick Brown was ruled out for the entire year. Their defense was never the same, especially on the interior.

The Panthers have worked very hard to repair that interior. They landed Tershawn Wharton to presumably be the opposite defensive end in the 3-4 scheme to Brown. They added a nose tackle in Bobby Brown III and another edge rusher.

All of those are pretty impactful additions, though the cost of them can certainly be questioned. However, the biggest possible addition the Panthers can make to their defense doesn't cost them anything and is already here.

Brown's return is effectively like signing an All-Pro defensive tackle, as Brown was one of the five or so best DTs in football in 2023. He set the record for the most tackles and was a borderline All-Pro that season. Now, he's back.

Aug 24, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown (95) enters the field before a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Panthers' defense was abysmal, but they've now effectively added a true superstar. Yes, they missed out on Milton Williams despite reports indicating that they were close to an agreement, but Brown is better than Williams, and he's already on the roster.

For what it's worth, the superior Brown is also worth a little less than Williams, too. Brown's making $24 million a year to Williams' $26 million. It's a marginal difference, but it further proves how getting Brown back is just as good as any free agent acquisition.

Granted, the defense wasn't all that good, particularly against the run, in 2023 when Brown was tackling everything in sight. That's a fair criticism, and it's why other pieces were necessary. But the questions around whether Bobby Brown III and Tershawn Wharton are enough to fix a historically awful defense are ignoring the fact that they're not alone.

Had Brown theoretically been on the market this year, he almost undubtedly would've made as much or more than Williams and would've been as highly-sought after or more (although Williams did have the benefit of starring in a Super Bowl win a month ago), and the Panthers are more or less adding him.

Just adding Brown meant that the Panthers could not possibly be worse on defense last year, but the complimentary additions, and that's how they should be viewed, mean that the Panthers might have a surprisingly improved defense in 2025. Sure, they paid handsomely for some of the additions, but one addition didn't cost them any additional money and will make all the difference in the world.

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