Can healthy Derrick Brown make bigger difference to Panthers’ defense? originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Reaching as high as he could during a 2025 highlight, Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown batted a pass by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford
One drive after breaking Tom Brady’s NFL record for delivering 28 consecutive touchdown passes, Stafford’s fluttering pass was picked off by safety Nick Scott.
In the fourth quarter, facing a third-and-five play from the Panthers’ 22-yard line, Brown worked his way into the backfield and executed a strip-sack, helping the Panthers clinch a 31-28 victory at Bank of America Stadium. The Week 13 win helped propel the franchise into the playoffs for the first time since 2017, despite an 8-9 mark.
Brown makes a difference.
A big difference.
During its annual ranking of the league’s top 100 players, the NFL Network placed Brown at No. 90. Teammate Bryce Young earlier earned a No. 98 rating.
Panthers’ players feel Derrick Brown’s on-field presence
One of the NFL’s top run defenders, Brown’s presence lifted the Panthers from a historically poor defensive ranking in 2024 to the NFC South championship last season.
Coming off a record-setting season in 2023, Brown suffered a knee injury during the first half of the ’24 regular-season opener. The Pro Bower became the first major contributor to be sidelined. He certainly wasn’t alone. By the end of the injury-plagued campaign, at least seven top defenders dropped out. By Week 17, the 3-4 base unit was manned by mostly third- and fourth-stringers. The Panthers yielded a league-worst 6,877 total yards and 534 points, the most in league history.
The Panthers also ranked No. 32 in rushing yards allowed (3,057) and posted the third-fewest sacks (29).
When Brown returned last season, the Panthers surrendered 30 consecutive points in a season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints. Brown remained confident, however.
“It’s going to be different,” Brown said, as reported by The Charlotte Post. “I can guarantee you that. We don’t want to harp on the past. Last year was what last year was, and then it’s time for us to move on from that, so I mean we’ve completely turned the chapter from that, and you can look for a more exciting defense, for sure, coming this fall.”
He was right.
Brown started all 17 games, finishing with 73 combined tackles, seven pass breakups and a team-high five sacks. With Brown and Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson developing into one of the NFL’s top cornerback duos, the Panthers improved to 15th in scoring defense, yielding 22.4 points per outing.
Known for his athleticism at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, Brown’s ability to shed blocks and disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage also helped improve the run defense. After giving up an average of 179.8 yards in ’24, the Panthers yielded 123.3 last season.
With the Panthers scheduled to open training camp July 22, Brown remains healthy and will be out to make a difference during the team’s divisional title defense.
A bigger difference.
