After finishing 30th in the league in sacks a year ago, the consensus was clear: the Carolina Panthers needed to get after the quarterback if this rebuild was going to mean anything.
They finally look like a team capable of doing just that. The turnaround didn’t start on the field, though. It began in the locker room, with a challenge.
The Panthers had just two sacks through their first four games — a total that ranked dead last in the NFL. It's also something the players weren’t too pleased about.
Carolina Panthers' defensive front took their early-season struggles personally
Tershawn Wharton, along with Derrick Brown and A’Shawn Robinson, called on the group to find its identity. Rookie edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen listened closely. Veterans like D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II took it personally.
“We had two sacks in the first four games,” Robinson said bluntly. “Which is unacceptable from the defense.” By Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, the talk had turned into results.
Against a Dolphins offense built on quick passes and speed, the Panthers sacked Tua Tagovailoa three times. Brown, Robinson, and Jones each notched one. It’s precisely the kind of player-led accountability head coach Dave Canales envisioned when he arrived.
Canales' message since Day 1 has been that this is their team, not his. He wants leadership to come from inside the locker room.
“Coach Canales really tells us a lot that this is our team and that we're the ones who run the team,” Umanmielen said. “If our effort and drive come from the coaches, then you're not going to be a good team. It has to come from within.”
That ownership has begun to shape the defense’s personality. The group still isn’t perfect, but the response to Wharton’s challenge revealed something more significant than statistics: belief.
Belief that this front can dictate games again. Belief that they can back up the offseason hype.
Now comes the more challenging part: doing it again.
Next up is Dak Prescott and a Dallas Cowboys offense that’s been one of the league’s most efficient at keeping its quarterback clean. He's been sacked just seven times all year, with a league-low 3.4 percent sack rate on over 200 drop-backs.
Last week was proof that what this team really needed wasn’t another scheme tweak or flashy signing. It was accountability. It was pride. It was a pass rush. And if Wharton and company have anything to say about it, that identity isn’t going anywhere.
“We’re just going to keep stacking them,” Wharton said. “And keep going.”