Following a win against the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers find themselves only one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC South. This is an opening to secure a playoff ticket that has long been a fading memory.
The Panthers have rattled off consecutive wins against the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, and Jets in the first such streak under quarterback Bryce Young. They are now over .500 for the first time since 2021. There is legitimate hope and excitement surrounding this team right now, and it isn't unwarranted.
One could argue that the teams Carolina has beaten are not necessarily top-tier. However, a win is still a win in the NFL. And this begs the question, what is truly holding back this team?
That answer falls upon the defensive front seven.
Carolina Panthers should acquire another edge rusher before the 2025 trade deadline
While their performance against the Jets was admirable, it should be viewed as an outlier, given that every defensive line has had its way with New York this season. When looking past that, it is a fairly grim picture for this Panthers pass rush, with only 11 sacks on the year. Most of those came in Week 7.
There have been some bright spots with the development of players like Nic Scourton, A'Shawn Robinson, and Princely Umanmielen. However, there is still an apparent lack of a dominant pass rusher that teams have to worry about. Something that has been missing since the head-scratching trade of Brian Burns.
This team has the foundational pieces. They also have some veterans who can produce, even with injuries taking some of that punch away in recent weeks. What this team needs is someone who can mentor the young players while still being a dominant force to disrupt the opposition. And it just so happens that there is a bevy of good defensive linemen that could be up for trade this season.
The crown jewel is Trey Hendrickson.
While Hendrickson is more than likely out of reach for the Panthers, he could be an addition that would have an instant positive impact and get this team heading toward true competitiveness.
More realistic options would be a player like Kingsley Enagbare, who has seen his role with the Green Bay Packers taken by Micah Parsons. He would likely be relatively cheap to acquire. Arden Key from the Tennessee Titans is another example, as they will take whatever draft picks they can to rebuild.
The Panthers need someone who can effectively pressure the quarterback. Carolina's run defense has been holding its own, and so has the cornerback corps, but they can only do so much against a clean pocket. And a player like Josh Allen is in prime territory to take advantage of that against this team.
If the Panthers truly want to compete for a playoff run, they have to find a way to generate pressure consistently, because the next tier of teams know exactly how to take advantage of that weakness.