Fantasy analyst betting on under-the-radar Carolina Panthers defender's youth, upside

It's been a long time since the Carolina Panthers had the all-time great linebacker trio of Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson roaming the middle of their defense. With Thompson now out of the picture, the last remnants of that era have officially been swept away.

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, Carolina's off-ball linebacker rotation is pretty unsettled. Aside from Josey Jewell being the obvious No. 1 option and starting middle linebacker, nobody has really established their respective spots for this unit, yet. We're not even sure who will start next to Jewell between Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom.

Ask Matt Montgomery at Footballguys and he'll tell you he's taking Wallace - betting on his youth and upside over Rozeboom's experience - and being on just a one-year contract.

The case for Trevin Wallace > Christian Rozeboom

"The Panthers' signing of Christian Rozeboom to a one-year deal on March 12, 2025, might raise eyebrows, but don't sound the alarm. At 28, Rozeboom is a journeyman on a prove-it contract, likely brought in for depth and special teams rather than to steal starting snaps..."

"Unlike Rozeboom, Wallace's youth and upside position him to climb the depth chart, with only Josey Jewell the entrenched LB1, as a clear obstacle. Jewell may hold the top spot for now, but Wallace's proven ability to erupt as a rookie, despite limited experience, signals that he's ready to earn the coaching staff's trust. As he enters 2025 healthy and seasoned, expect Wallace to seize a lion's share of snaps early and often, paving the way for a true IDP breakout."

Jun 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace (32) during minicamp at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Montgomery is probably right about Wallace getting the nod for snaps over Rozeboom - at least at the outset of the 2025 season. That might change during training camp, but at least for now Wallace should likely project as the Week 1 starter opposite Jewell.

However, now is when we point out that Wallace didn't exactly light the world on fire in his rookie year, despite coming in with a fair amount of hype - especially after picking off Aaron Rodgers in the joint preseason practice with the Jets.

Wallace earned a very-solid 64.2 coverage grade from PFF, but only a 46.9 in run defense and a 56.0 overall grade that ranked him 137th out of 189 qualifying linebackers. Meanwhile, Rozeboom earned a 60.9 in coverage but his overall grade was a little higher, coming in at 59.0 (ranking 121st).

That's not much of a gap if we're talking about the total season. What's more important however is how they finished the year, respectively. In that department Rozeboom wins out. Wallace did get better as the season went on, but Rozeboom was playing red-hot for the Rams down the stretch after bombing early in the year.

For now Wallace looks to be the guy at LB2 - but he has to perform because it probably wouldn't take much struggling for head coach Dave Canales to pull him in favor of Rozeboom.

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