NFL free agency: Chiefs wanted to keep Panthers' big-time interior addition

The Panthers could use all the help they can get on the defensive side of the ball. They snagged a big body who has made his share of playoff appearances.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (98) in the second quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

This offseason, Carolina Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan wasted little time in free agency adding some experienced performers to the league’s worst defense in 2024. Safety Tre’Von Moehrig (Raiders) should aid a unit that allowed an NFL-high 35 touchdown passes. Edge rusher Patrick Jones II (Vikings) should bolster a club that managed to total only 32 sacks this past season.

When it came to the defensive line, the Panthers made a run at Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX hero Milton Williams. They wound up losing out when it came to his services to the New England Patriots. Conversely, Morgan added a pair of big bodies in Bobby Brown III (Rams), and Tershawn Wharton (Chiefs). The latter has made an impression on his new defensive coordinator.

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (98) reacts during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

"When you first meet him, he's got a presence about him,'' explained Ejiro Evero (via ESPN’s David Newton). "He's got an aura about him. You watch him in the classroom, he's a notetaker. He's into it all the time in the weight room, on the field. And we know that he's coming from a place that has a really great culture, and that played a really good defense, especially on the D-line.''

Wharton joined the Chiefs in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. The 6’1”, 280-pound defensive tackle goes from a team that reached the playoffs in each of his five seasons in the club to a franchise that hasn’t made a postseason appearance since 2017.

Newton pointed out that the reigning AFC champions will certainly miss the five-year pro. “In a perfect world, Wharton would have remained in Kansas City, where he won two Super Bowls and went to four. But the Chiefs reportedly couldn't match Carolina's offer of a three-year, $45.05 million contract that included $30.25 million guaranteed with the possibility of another $9 million in incentives.”

Wharton, Brown, and 2025 fifth-round pick Cam Jackson (Florida) are all newcomers to a team that allowed the most rushing yards in the NFL this past season. Will Kansas City’s loss be a major gain for Dave Canales’s club? The Panthers can’t afford another defensive showing like this past season if they are to build on last season’s somewhat-promising 4-5 finish after a 1-7 start.

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