Panthers edge starter opposite Jadeveon Clowney will be a game-time decision

The Carolina Panthers are still searching for answers at outside linebacker.

Schuyler Callihan | Sep 3, 2024

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Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quad) and Amaré Barno (knee) will begin the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, meaning they will miss at least the team's first four games.

Both players missed all of training camp/preseason which has put the Panthers in a tough spot heading into Week 1. They've rotated through a bunch of guys in preseason play such as DJ Johnson, K'Lavon Chaisson, Eku Leota, Luiji Vilain and others, and added to the position by claiming Jamie Sheriff off of waivers.

When asked who will start opposite of Jadeveon Clowney on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales didn't exactly have an answer.

“We got a whole group, so we got to take that all the way to gameday," Canales said. "We’ve got a group of guys we’re counting on. They’ve had a lot of opportunities to show us what they’re doing.”

Johnson is a guy they really need to come along. They invested in him by trading up to get him in the 2023 draft, but he's yet to really show much as a pass rusher. Chaisson, a former first-round pick, is hoping to figure things out here after recording just five sacks in four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eku Leota impressed throughout the month of August, but is he ready for a starting role at the moment? Probably not.

The Panthers will likely go with some sort of a rotation with those guys and until they get a clearer picture on when Wonnum will return, they will remain active on the waiver wire.