Panthers named ideal landing spot for former (and familiar) No. 1 overall pick

On the whole, Dan Morgan has done a good job of glowing up the Carolina Panthers since he took over as general manager—especially with his work in the NFL draft. But there have been a few unforced errors during his run.

Before the start of last season, the Panthers released outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney—their leading sack-getter of 2024. The minimal cap relief they got in return probably wasn't worth the squeeze, as Carolina finished with the second-lowest pressure rate (16.5 percent) in the NFL.

The defending NFC South champions, however, could have a chance to run it back—as they were named the ideal landing spot for the free-agent pass rusher. Pro Football Focus contributor Bradley Locker writes:

Carolina does have suitable pass-rushers in Phillips, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, but the latter two displayed growing pains as rookies by sitting under a 62.0 pass-rush mark. The veteran Clowney could not only serve as a mentor to those second-year defenders, but also be a legitimate complement to Phillips.

After getting cut by Carolina, Clowney eventually landed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, where he had another strong year. In just 13 games, Clowney posted 8.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for a loss—proving he's still got plenty left in the tank.

As PFF mentioned—while the Panthers have some decent options on the edge, they're unproven. Even if Phillips gets back to the level he was playing at early in his career in and Scourton continues to improve, Carolina could still use more depth for the edge rotation.