Panthers DC Ejiro Evero makes bold claim about Derrick Brown going into the 2024 NFL season

Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown has a chance to post a new career high in sacks, according to his defensive coordinator.

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 01: Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown (95) during an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers on October 1, 2023 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. / (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Derrick Brown has been a solid defender for the Carolina Panthers ever since they drafted him in the first round back in 2020. He has consistently disrupted the offense, especially against the run and has rarely missed tackles. Brown has also been brilliant batting passes down, totaling 21 pass breakups through four years.

Last year Brown was rewarded with his first Pro Bowl appearance and a fat new contract totaling $96 million over the next four years. While things are going great for his career, there's one thing that's been missing so far: elite interior pass rushing production.

Through 66 career games Brown has totaled a ton of pressures, racking up 65 of them. However, he hasn't been able to convert those pressures into sacks, totaling just eight sacks and never more than three in a single season.

The Panthers know their defense won't reach the next level unless they get Brown going as a real monster interior rusher threat. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero believes Brown is one of the best run defenders in the league but he also thinks he can finally break out as a pass rusher and get between 8-10 sack this year. Here's what he said, per Alex Zietlow at the Charlotte Observer.

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero on Derrick Brown:

"“In my opinion, he’s arguably the best run defender in the NFL, and like I said earlier, the pressures were there. He affects the quarterback. He’s a hard man to block — run or pass — one-on-one. But at the end of the day, we want to translate that into more sack production. I can’t remember what he had last year, but I think this guy can get eight-to-10 sacks this year.”

Brown certainly has it in him to reach those numbers. However, he's probably going to need some more help from the front office to get there. One reason why Brown's sack production has lagged is because Carolina has been lacking more than one other pass rush threat pretty much throughout his entire time in the NFL so far.

This year the Panthers brought in Jadeveon Clowney, which might have finally boosted their edge rush rotation to a respectable level. However, they also wouldn't pay Brian Burns and eventually traded him to the New York Giants, so at best it's a wash.

There are no other legitimate pass rush threats on this roster as far as we can tell, unless the currently-injured D.J. Wonnum is going to take a big step forward in this department. If Brown (and Clowney) are going to reach their full potential the Panthers have to add more firepower here, which will open more opportunities for everybody.

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