Kwon Alexander and 2 other NFL free agent linebackers Panthers could consider after Shaq Thompson, Jewell injuries

Matt Alquiza | Sep 30, 2024

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Carolina Panthers

A brittle Carolina Panthers defense may have finally reached its breaking point. After already losing team captain and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown for the season, Carolina announced that both starting inside linebackers Josey Jewell (Groin, Hamstring) and Shaq Thompson (Achilles) are set to miss time. Jewell projects to return in 2024, but Thompson's torn achilles is set to sideline him for the remainder of the season, the veteran linebacker's second-straight season-ending injury.

Carolina needs help on the second-level of their defense. Rookie training camp standout Trevin Wallace and second-year pro Claudin Cherelus project to take the majority of snaps going forward, but as it stands, Jon Rhattigan is the only other off-ball linebacker on the Panthers roster.

Scraping the bottom of the barrell for contributors at this point of the NFL calendar is ill-advised, but Carolina has no choice. Here are a couple of options for Carolina to look at on the open market to fill the void created by the injuries to their starting linebacker duo.

Kwon Alexander

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Alexander is a thumping linebacker with a rich history of success in the NFL. He led the league in solo tackles as a second-year player in 2016, and he followed up that league-leading campaign with his lone Pro Bowl appearance in 2017. The veteran linebacker got his initial NFL break with Carolina's division rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he's also spent time with San Francisco, New Orleans, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh, and he currently resides in Denver as a member of the Broncos practice squad.

Shaquille Leonard

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Leonard, a South Carolina native, was one of the league's premiere inside linebackers early in his NFL career. He was named to four straight All Pro teams from 2018-2021 as an Indianapolis Colt, setting the standard for linebacking play late in the 2010s with consistent tackling and sticky pass coverage. A back injury has zapped him of his effectiveness late in his career, but Carolina could be the ideal place for him to reclaim his past glory. Leonard departed from Indianapolis due to a playing-time dispute, a problem he's unlikely to face in Carolina due to their current situation at linebacker.

Jacob Phillips

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Phillips' best football may very well still be ahead of him. The veteran linebacker was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but a series of fluke injuries have kept him sidelined for the majority of his NFL career. A bicep injury and a pectoral injury robbed him of a starting job in Cleveland, and he has yet to receive consistent snaps since departing from The Land.