Panthers To Field a Top-10 Defense? Insider’s Prediction Isn't All That Bold

The Panthers' defense made strides this past season after a forgettable 2024. Is it outlandish to think Ejiro Evero's unit won't take some more steps forward?

Dec 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown (95) and cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) walk on the field before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Conor Orr of SI.com released his Top 100 predictions for the NFL’s 107th season. Right off the top he has the Houston Texans winning their first league championship and dethroning the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LXI. Second on the list is Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow capturing NFL MVP honors.

A few rungs down the ladder (No. 11) he has this regarding the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. In part due to the addition of a pair of key free-agent signings, he has the team fielding a Top 10 defensive unit.

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“This won’t qualify as “bold” for those who aren’t Panthers fans,” prefaced Orr, “and have not endured watching some of the absolute worst defensive seasons in recent NFL history. Carolina was a league-worst 32nd in 2024 and clawed back—depending on your metric of choice—to between 20th and 16th during last season’s surprise playoff run. Now, with the additions of playmakers such as Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips, the Panthers are primed to weaponize their defense for the first time in the Dave Canales’s Era.”

The Panthers’ defense was a total disaster in 2024

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The latter’s stint in Charlotte coincidentally began in 2024, when coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense (minus defensive tackle Derrick Brown for all but one game) allowed 404.5 total yards per game, a disturbing 179.8 rushing yards per contest (200-plus yards in each of their final 6 games), and 59 offensive touchdowns. Canales’s squad permitted 534 points, the highest-single season total in NFL history.

Now consider this past season. While Evero’s unit faded late in the year when it came to run defense, there was still considerable overall improvement. The Panthers finished 20th in the league in surrendering just 123.3 rushing yards per contest. Carolina gave up 19 fewer offensive TDs (40) and 154 fewer points (380). Still not ideal, but trending in a positive way.

GM Dan Morgan has added a lot of new faces to Carolina’s defense

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Along with Phillips and Lloyd, there are the additions of rookies such as defensive tackle Lee Hunter (2-Texas Tech), cornerback Will Lee III (4-Texas A&M)), and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley (5b-Penn State). There’s also the presence of outside linebacker Nic Scourton, who as a rookie in 2025 tied Brown for the team lead with five sacks.

Combine that with a secondary led by physical safety Tre’von Moehrig and the standout cornerback duo of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson and it’s easy to see another year of massive improvement.

Would the Panthers emerging as a Top 10 defensive unit really be that far-fetched? The year before the 2024 disaster, only three teams in the league gave up fewer total yards per game. Regardless if you feel that Orr’s prognostication is indeed bold, he believes that Morgan’s offseason work on this side of the football will pay off in the form of a very improved unit.