Panthers LB Devin Lloyd: No. 5 Player Must Be What Carolina Expects

If Devin Lloyd is who the Panthers think he is, then Carolina will finally field a good defense.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) stands on the field during pregame warmups | Travis Register-Imagn Images

There has been a black hole at linebacker for the Carolina Panthers for some time now. They have absolutely failed to find a successor to the Thomas Davis-Luke Kuechly combination in the late 2010s.

After years of bargain-bin shopping for a linebacker, the Panthers finally ponied up and signed Devin Lloyd. He isn't on an astronomical deal, but after the Jaelan Phillips signing, it's astonishing the Panthers spent what they did to get Lloyd.

The linebacker in the middle of the defense can often make or break the unit, which is why we ranked Lloyd number five on our list of most important players for the Panthers this year.

Devin Lloyd can transform the Panthers defense with little effort

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) during AFC practice at the NFL Flag Fieldhouse | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Devin Lloyd was a second-team All-Pro linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. He doesn't even need to be that good to be a huge difference-maker for the Panthers defense.

Carolina's defense was mediocre last year (which was a huge step up) in part because the linebacker play was so bad. The defensive front was improved, but they still weren't good enough to dominate the run game, allowing backs to get to the second level where no one good was waiting.

This year, Lloyd will be waiting, so even if backs do get past the Derrick Brown-Lee Hunter front, they won't get much further. Christian Rozeboom was also an absolutely traffic cone in coverage, and Lloyd is one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL.

The difference there cannot be overstated. Tight ends ran rampant all over the Panthers' defense last year, but that won't be an issue in 2026. The Panthers finally have a linebacker who can actually stay with tight ends and stop the run.

Linebackers are often tasked with doing it all, and Lloyd will be. Edge rushers have the ability to totally wreck an offense, but an elite linebacker can be a special tool for defensive coordinators.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) runs on the field before an AFC Wild Card | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Lloyd has had some ups and downs in his career. Notably, he was only a free agent because the Jaguars declined his fifth-year option before his breakout year, so there's risk. But if Lloyd is what the Panthers expect him to be, the defense will be in excellent shape.

And if he's not, then the Panthers will still probably be in decent shape. His contract will be bad, but again, we can't overstate how much better even the worse version of Lloyd is compared to Rozeboom.