Identifying the Panthers' biggest roster needs following big wave of cuts

A few areas the Carolina Panthers should address ahead of Week 1.

Schuyler Callihan | Aug 28, 2024

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Carolina Panthers

While the Carolina Panthers would have liked to held on to all 90 players they had in camp, there are rules that limit them and every other team in the league to roster just 53. Some tough decisions were made on Tuesday as roster cuts were made and now the focus turns to fine-tuning the back end of the 53-man roster via the waiver wire.

Let's break down the Panthers' three biggest needs.

Defensive Line

Derrick Brown, A'Shawn Robinson, and Shy Tuttle form a pretty formidable starting trio. Is a top-10 defensive line? No, but when you have a talent like Derrick Brown it makes that group a whole lot stronger. Depth here has been a big issue and one Dan Morgan has not been able to address to this point.

LaBryan Ray, Nick Thurman, Jayden Peevy, and Jaden Crumedy? Yeah, that's not going to get it done. The only problem is, they may not be able to improve the defensive front until next offseason due to more pressing needs which is where we are moving our focus to now.

Outside Linebacker

It was announced on Tuesday that D.J. Wonnum will start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, meaning he will be out for the first four games as he continues to recover from a torn quad. Once his window to return is opened, it still may take some time before he's activated and playing at a high level on Sundays.

The Panthers do have Jadeveon Clowney who is coming off one of the best seasons of his NFL career, but he can't do it alone. DJ Johnson, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Eku Leota are better suited for reserve roles, so you can expect this to be one position Morgan adds to before Week 1.

Corner

We've talked about this one so much it's become nauseating, hasn't it? Sure, the Panthers recently traded for Michael Jackson, but is he really going to cement himself as the guy opposite Jaycee Horn until Dane Jackson returns? That's a big ask.

Troy Hill and rookie Chau Smith-Wade are listed as corners, but are primarily going to see action at nickel. This means aside from Horn and Jackson, D'Shawn Jamison is the only other corner that can play on the outside. The Panthers can't enter the season with three outside corners.