Carolina Panthers Can Right Wrong, Fix Pass Rush With One Ironic Signing

In 2024, the Carolina Panthers tried to patch up a pass rush that had lost Brian Burns by adding DJ Wonnum and Jadeveon Clowney. It didn't really work, as neither were extremely impactful, and the pass rush was one of the worst in the NFL.

However, Clowney's 5.5 sacks that year led the team and would have been top marks in 2025 as well, so their decision to cut the veteran to save some money (and open playing time for Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen) wasn't exactly the smartest.

Clowney's a free agent again. The Panthers need an edge rusher, and they probably can't afford Trey Hendrickson or Odafe Oweh. According to PFF, Clowney is the most underrated edge rusher on the market. See where this is headed?

Panthers should sign Jadeveon Clowney for a second time

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (42) and Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) tackle New York Giants running back | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Panthers were probably a little foolish to cut Jadeveon Clowney after the 2024 season. Financially, it helped, but the Panthers had the second-worst pass rush in 2025 and clearly missed Clowney.

Nic Scourton was good, but he wasn't great, and everyone else was pretty much nonexistent. Having Clowney would've prevented them from signing Pat Jones, who was a bust and missed most of the year anyway.

Now, Clowney hits the market as, per PFF, the most underrated edge rusher there is. The Panthers aren't likely to go after Trey Hendrickson, Khalil Mack, or the other costly stars, so Clowney makes sense.

It would allow them to right their wrong and it would undoubtedly help their ailing pass rush. Assuming Scourton can develop further and Princely Umanmielen gets better, it would probably result in the best pass rush the Panthers have had in years.

"Since the start of 2015, Clowney has finished with a 70.8-plus PFF overall grade in all but one season (66.5 in 2021) and is coming off a year in which his 19.1% pressure rate trailed only Micah Parsons and Will Anderson Jr. for the top mark in the league," PFF's Ryan Smith wrote.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (7) reacts after a sack | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

He continued, "Clowney’s cumulative PFF grade over the last three years is 83.2 while averaging 589 snaps per season over that span, suggesting he can once again be one of free agency’s best value signings in 2026."

Those numbers are pretty good, and they'd be a huge boost to Carolina's defense. This would also free them up to go after linebacker or another position in the first round of the NFL draft, giving them a reliable veteran to pair with their exciting young players off the edge.

It might be the smartest move GM Dan Morgan can make, which is ironic since maybe one of his dumbest moves was cutting Clowney in the first place.

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