Derrick

Brown

Brown in Week 1 against the Saints sustained an injury to his meniscus. He’ll require surgery and could be out for much of the season. It’s a brutal blow to a Carolina defense that was shredded by Derek Carr and the Saints on opening day. Without Brown, the Panthers almost certainly have the NFL’s worst pass rush.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Brown — who had one year remaining on his contract — will get around $63 million in guarantees with the new deal. The seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brown, 25, set an NFL record for defensive lineman with 103 tackles in 2023; his missed tackle rate was among the league’s lowest among defensive linemen. He has functioned as a run stuffer in the Carolina defense. Pro Football Focus graded Brown as last year’s No. 2 defensive lineman behind Quinnen Williams.

Brown is one of two Panthers players whose fifth-year options are nearing a decision deadline -- the other being cornerback C.J. Henderson. Since being selected by the Panthers with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brown has started 46 games, totaling 142 tackles, 21 TFLs, and six sacks. Brown will earn a guaranteed base salary of $11.66 million in 2024 and will hit free agency at the start of 2025.

“I’m fine,” Brown said after the game. “Not a problem. I could have gone back in.” Brown may be limited in practice but the Panthers look to have avoided a serious injury. The 24-year-old remains on track for Week 1.

Brown was a quick rule out after going down. A core injury would add some uncertainty to Brown’s status for the start of the season. Brown has 16 days to get ready for Week 1.

Brown reported to OTAs at 320 pounds after playing over 330 last season. “He’s really stepped up in terms of his progress and development,” Rhule said at the team’s offseason workouts. “He came here in shape. Has made a lot of great changes. He’s leaned out. Moving really well right now and playing really well.”

The deal is fully guaranteed and comes with a fifth-year team option, as is the case with all first-round picks. Reportedly, coach Matt Rhule wanted to trade out of the No. 7 pick last month, but GM Marty Hurney never found a strong enough offer or simply didn’t want to move out of that spot. Either way, Brown was viewed as the head-and-shoulders top interior lineman in this class. Brown and Kawann Short will play the bulk of the snaps inside with Brian Burns, Stephen Weatherly, and second-round rookie Yetur Gross-Matos providing the pass-rush juice off the edge.

“He wanted to add a couple more picks, maybe find a sweet spot in the teens somewhere, and that Marty (Hurney) said Derrick Brown is our guy. We aren’t moving,” Person told WFNZ. The message doesn’t come off as prickly or a sign of dissension, but it does read as the top 10 selection not being a unanimous decision. It is still difficult to understand who is making what personnel calls inside of the Panthers building, but that’s expected with a new coach on the job for only a few months in an offseason that has been turned on its head. The Rhule - Hurney dynamic is one to watch this season, especially if the Panthers wind up in the bottom of the NFC South.

Brown (6’5/326) was a former top-10 high school recruit and three-year starting defensive tackle at Auburn. He had at least 9.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks in all three of his seasons as a starter and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior after posting 11.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks. His combination of burst and strength at the snap forced opponents into using double teams on Brown, who primarily lined up at nose tackle and three-technique in college. He looked more athletic on tape than what his 45th percentile Adjusted SPARQ score would indicate, but it’s fair to question how disruptive he will be as a pass-rusher for a highly-drafted defensive tackle. Still, Brown offers Pro Bowl upside at multiple positions across the defensive line and should at least be one the better interior run stoppers immediately. He’ll start immediately given the losses of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe in free agency, but the Panthers undoubtedly need to add much more over the next few days on defense.

Brown (6’5/326) was a former top-10 high school recruit and three-year starting defensive tackle at Auburn. He had at least 9.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks in all three of his seasons as a starter and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior after posting 11.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks. His combination of burst and strength at the snap forced opponents into using double teams on Brown, who primarily lined up at nose tackle and three-technique in college. He looked more athletic on tape than what his 45th percentile Adjusted SPARQ score would indicate, but it’s fair to question how disruptive he will be as a pass-rusher for a highly-drafted defensive tackle. Still, Brown offers Pro Bowl upside at multiple positions across the defensive line and should at least be one the better interior run stoppers immediately. He’ll start immediately given the losses of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe in free agency, but the Panthers undoubtedly need to add much more over the next few days on defense.