How can Carolina Panthers DT Derrick Brown take another huge leap in 2023?

How can Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown take another monumental leap forward during the upcoming 2023 campaign?

There were more questions than answers surrounding Derrick Brown at this stage last year. The defensive lineman's production before that was pretty solid, but many thought it was not in keeping with the expectations normally associated with a top-10 draft selection.

Fast forward 12 months and it's a different story. Brown was arguably the biggest improver for the Carolina Panthers in 2022, becoming a true game-wrecker and leaving no doubt as to his importance moving forward.

Such an outstanding campaign made Carolina's decision to trigger Brown's fifth-year option an easy one. This is exactly what the Panthers envisaged when they took the former Auburn star over Isaiah Simmons at No. 7 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, which was the right call to make based on their respective career trajectories.

Carolina Panthers need more from Derrick Brown in 2023

If Brown takes another leap forward next season, he can expect a whopping contract extension as a result of his efforts. But that might be easier said than done with the player transitioning to a 3-4 defensive end within Ejiro Evero's system.

Brown looks best suited to the edge in a 3-4 rather than the nose. For the lineman to make a real go of things, he must improve his pass-rushing capabilities and also cover more space than he's ever done previously.

While this is going to be a challenge, there's nothing to suggest Brown doesn't have the tools to adjust quickly. And according to defensive line coach Todd Wash via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, the fundamentals and principles remain the same.

"The biggest thing we're going to start working on is the pass-rush side of things. He's a big athlete. He's 330 pounds, but he has the ability and speed and explosiveness to get on the edges of guards. That's the biggest thing we're working on. But before that can even happen, we talk in our room about you have to earn the right to rush the quarterback. We have to do a good job of stopping the run, and then we get Derrick [Brown] even better than he is right now vs. the pass."

- Todd Wash via Panthers.com

As the old saying goes, variety is the spice of life. It's easy for veterans to get bogged down in the mundane nature of practices - especially at this stage of the offseason - but the introduction of Frank Reich, Evero, and his all-star coaches seems to be giving everyone a massive lift.

This is a sentiment echoed by Brown via the team's website. The lineman is eager for himself and his teammates to put in the hard yards right now so that Evero's new-look defense can become dominant from the moment they take the field in Spartanburg for training camp.

"You know, I think the big thing for us is getting this new defense in, getting that chemistry with our coaches. And you know, of course, I mean, that's the big thing. We've had good OTAs, so to be honest, I look forward to rolling into camp with that."

- Derrick Brown via Panthers.com

The sky's the limit for Brown. He blossomed into one of the league's best interior defenders last season and if his pending switch goes according to plan, the 2020 first-rounder will be a very wealthy man indeed.