The Carolina Panthers Now Have a Top-10 Defense After Flurry of Moves

The Panthers are a team on the rise and reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017. Their defense has made a lot of strides in recent years.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What a difference a year makes in the NFL. That was never more obvious than in 2025. It was a season in which there were seven division champions from the previous year. The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears went from last place to first place, and the former reached the Super Bowl.

The Carolina Panthers were a defensive disaster in 2024

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In 2024, no team in the National Football League allowed more total yards, more rushing yards, more touchdown passes and more points (NFL single-season record 534) than Dave Canales’s Carolina Panthers. Thanks to some shrewd free-agent moves and some solid drafting by general manager Dan Morgan, coordinator Ejiro Evero’s group certainly made some strides this past season. It’s still not a perfect unit, but progress is being made.

Ben Arthur on Fox Sports gave his thoughts on which defensive units would be ranked in the Top 10 in 2026. He has the Houston Texans, who allowed the fewest total yards in the league in ’25, leading the pack. At No. 10, there’s Canales’s team thanks to a busy offseason, highlighted by one notable draft choice.

Things are looking up for Carolina’s defense

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“Don’t be surprised to see the Panthers,” explained Arthur, “who ranked 15th in points allowed and 16th in yards given up last season, make the leap into the Top 10 conversation in 2026. They added two of the marquee defensive free agents in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. Cornerback Jaycee Horn is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons…Ejiro Evero, one of the NFL’s most respected defensive coordinators, has plenty of talent to work with.”

Keep an eye on Panthers’ rookie DT Lee Hunter

Lee Hunter’s tape against Oregon is the definition of teach tape for iDL. Was elite in all phases of the game including dominating one of the better centers in the country on this play.

Winning quick like this is something that we haven’t seen consistently in Carolina in quite… pic.twitter.com/Mw8zoMXWL3

— Panthers Pulse (@PanthersPulze) April 26, 2026

Arthur also mentioned the second-round selection of Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter. The Panthers released veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson this offseason. The massive Red Raider could not only be a major asset in regards to stopping the run,
he and Derrick Brown could make life easier for outside pass-rushers such as Phillips, second-year pro Nic Scourton (he and Brown tied for the team lead with 5.0 sacks), and 2025 third-round pick Princely Umanmielen.

The addition of Phillips could mean a revival of a pass rush that has produced an NFL-low 89 sacks since 2023. The signing of Lloyd gives Evero a rangy chess piece who was a big reason that the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up the fewest rushing yards in the league this past season.

If the Panthers can finally find their pass rush and be more consistent against the run this upcoming season, Arthur’s prognostication regarding Evero’s unit may indeed be spot on.