Derrick Brown missed all but one game of the 2024 season. The Pro Bowl defensive lineman is making a concerted effort to ensure that's not the case this time around.
To say the Carolina Panthers missed Brown's presence would be the biggest understatement imaginable. He was coming off a campaign where he broke the NFL's single-season tackle record for interior defensive linemen. This deservedly earned him a lucrative extension ahead of time, but the former first-round pick's momentum came screeching to an abrupt halt soon after.
Brown suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery in Week 1. It's been a long road back for the Auburn graduate, but he's been on the field for drills over offseason workouts as his rehabilitation ramps up.
Derrick Brown is fed up of waiting, and the Carolina Panthers stand to benefit enormously
The Panthers will still take things slowly with Brown. Putting too much on his plate over training camp wouldn't be smart. The end goal is to have him on the field and ready to make a considerable impact in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nothing else will do.
That's also the goal Brown has set for himself. He's done waiting. He wants to get onto the field as soon as possible, perhaps even ahead of schedule. The No. 6 overall pick in 2020 believes he owes it to his teammates as part of the new collective purpose in the trenches.
"I feel like right now in our room we've got a bunch of selfless guys. So you know when you play with selfless guys that just want to come out and work every single day, then you know that's where you build that brotherhood. That's where you come in here, and you know it doesn't have to be one guy's show or the next, but when we get to go out to the field and play, I mean, I think that's where you start to get there. There's no drop off in play. I'm not tied here because of rehab, but I do feel like I owe it to my teammates to be out there when we're here to take the field in September, so I'll be there."Derrick Brown via Panthers.com
The sooner Brown gets back to taking the league by storm, the better Carolina's chances will be. Dan Morgan added some decent pieces for Ejiro Evero's 3-4 defensive front this offseason. But this group will only go as far as their best player takes them.
There is also added pressure on Brown from a financial sense this season. It's the first year of his bumper extension, which counts $18.74 million against the salary cap. This increases to $24.5 million, $28 million, and $29 million in the three years after. That brings a different set of pressure, but nothing the interior force is capable of meeting.
Getting fully healthy and avoiding any further complications is the primary objective. If Brown accomplishes that, a return to his old self won't be too far behind.