When your NFL team makes a significant investment, it means they believe in the player and his abilities to strengthen the roster. The Carolina Panthers made two of those investments this offseason, including at a position that hadn't had one in a handful of years.
General manager Dan Morgan made two of the biggest splashes in recent franchise history, signing edge rusher Jaelen Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd to deals. It was a major statement of intent from the front-office leader, who believes the Panthers are close to competing.
Lloyd had his ups and downs in Jacksonville, but he turned in a second-team All-Pro season under defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile with five interceptions, tied for second in the NFL along with Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Devin Lloyd's ceiling and floor give the Carolina Panthers a much-needed upgrade
The Utah product's addition to the roster does two things: shore up the second level with a premier talent and bring consistency that was sorely lacking in the linebacking corps previously.
He is a perfect fit for what defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero wants to do with his linebackers. Lloyd has shown to be a great coverage asset in the middle of the field and a reliable blitzer on coffeehouse pressures.
What many wonder is where the floor and ceiling are for Lloyd in 2026 and beyond.
This is the most talented linebacker the Panthers have had on their defense since Luke Kuechly retired, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a few weeks. The upgrade was also desperately needed after the last two years of inconsistent, sometimes dreadful, play.
The type of ceiling Lloyd would bring to Carolina is similar to his 2025 production, with strong play in pass coverage, run defense, and pass rush. He had a pass rush win rate over 25 percent last season, according to Next Gen Stats, and had the third-best coverage EPA at -28.2, trailing Philadelphia Eagles linebackers Zack Baun and Jaylx Hunt.
For what linebackers are asked to do in the modern NFL, especially in a Vic Fangio system like Evero deploys in Carolina, that type of production next season would catapult Lloyd into elite status. However, there is the downside of what a floor-like campaign would look like.
I spent two years writing about the Jaguars and saw two versions of Lloyd. The 2024 version was inconsistent, though a fairly adequate starter and open-field tackler. There truly isn't a worse version of the 2022 first-round pick outside of the last couple of seasons pre-2025 — all of which would still top the play we saw in Carolina at the linebacker position for two years.
One way or another, Lloyd should live up to his three-year, $45 million contract. The Panthers are getting an upgrade at linebacker no matter how you view it, and it should excite fans for the possibilities in 2026.
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