Carolina Panthers must find coping mechanisms without defensive talisman

Derrick Brown is the best Carolina Panthers player by a considerable margin. Now, the team must find ways to cope without their defensive talisman.

Brown is getting a second opinion after an MRI revealed a torn meniscus. NFL insiders think the complication, which needs surgery, jeopardizes the defensive lineman's chances of seeing the field again in 2024. Regardless of what the eventual timeline is, the former No. 7 overall selection out of Auburn will be missing for a considerable period.

Things were bad enough for the Panthers following their disastrous loss at the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. Brown's injury rubs salt into the wound.

Carolina Panthers must absorb Derrick Brown's crushing blow somehow

The NFL won't stop for Brown or anyone else. Carolina must absorb this blow and come up with a contingency plan to minimize complications. Nobody on the roster or sitting on the free-agent market can replicate the production he brings to the table. But this downtrodden organization needs to plug the gap somehow to avoid things completely spiraling out of control.

Looking at the depth chart as it stands, either Nick Thurman or LaBryan Ray could be in line for extended involvement. Both players know defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's demands and performed relatively well in rotational roles last time around. Whether they could do the same from a starting role remains to be seen, so it might be a committee approach until someone comes to the fore.

Dave Canales also highlighted the potential for Jayden Peevy to get himself involved. He was a late arrival to training camp but impressed during the preseason. After playing 12 snaps during Carolina's opener at the Saints, that number could increase in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

General manager Dan Morgan will no doubt examine potential help from outside the franchise. It's slim pickings on the free-agent front at this time of year, which isn't ideal. There's also the possibility of giving up a late-round draft pick to acquire someone on the fringes elsewhere who could be a good scheme fit.

Morgan hasn't been too eager to part ways with draft picks, so a veteran free agent might be more likely. Evero gained a strong reputation for doing more with less last season. Doing the same without Brown - a man who broke the NFL's single-season tackle record for interior defensive linemen in 2023 en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance and a lucrative new contract extension - will be his toughest challenge to date.

This is the last thing Carolina needed with morale already wafer-thin among the fanbase. Losing such an inspirational presence on and off the field is a body blow this underperforming defense might not recover from. It's a chance for others to step up and take his alpha mantle. Recently acquired free-agent signing A'Shawn Robinson, in particular, comes under the microscope.

Hopefully, we get some good news about Brown's availability later in the campaign. But it's hard to look at this concerning predicament and not see it as anything other than a crushing development - one that comes with potentially grave consequences attached.

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