Dan Morgan entered the second recruitment period of his master plan with one clear goal in mind. The Carolina Panthers needed to improve their defense, and this process began in the trenches.
Morgan adopted a ruthless mindset. This was imperative after watching Ejiro Evero's unit concede the most single-season points in NFL history and more than 3,000 rushing yards in 2024. After the Panthers gave the under-fire coordinator a reprieve, improving the personnel was critical.
The Panthers spared no expense to fix Evero's 3-4 defensive front in free agency. Morgan traded up twice on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft for Princely Umanmielen and Nic Scourton. That generated the lion's share of headlines, but another less heralded move is already proving to be a shrewd piece of business.
Bobby Brown III has made a strong start to life with the Carolina Panthers
When the Panthers signed veteran defensive lineman Bobby Brown III to a three-year, $21 million deal in free agency, fans were skeptical. He was coming off a career year with the Los Angeles Rams, but one had to wonder whether this was down to his talent or the innovative scheme implemented by defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
Brown was initially expected to become Carolina's starting nose tackle. That spot went to A'Shawn Robinson, which was somewhat surprising. Evero initially saw the 2021 fourth-round selection as a rotational 3-4 defensive end. However, injury problems around Tershawn Wharton left the Panthers with no option other than to thrust him into a prominent role.
He's answered the call. A lot of Brown's good work might not show up on the stat sheet. Still, he's disrupting plays with power and violent hands. He's pushing the pile on running plays and making things easier for others. Carolina's defensive front has been a huge positive through five weeks, and the Texas A&M product's contribution is a big reason why.
Whether Brown will go back to the fringes once Wharton gets healthy remains to be seen. Either way, this is a nice problem for Evero to have — one he didn't benefit from last season with a group of linemen who were devoid of confidence, consistency, or depth once Pro Bowler Derrick Brown suffered a knee injury just one game into the campaign.
Brown won't generate many headlines. Players in the trenches rarely do, but that does not detract from the exceptional impact he's made to Carolina's mini-defensive resurgence over the early stages of 2025.
Long may it continue.