NFL free agency: Panthers linked to intriguing iDL who just hit the market

Carolina needs to totally shake up the interior defensive line rotation behind Derrick Brown.

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 15: Sheldon Rankins #98 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks to the tunnel at halftime during an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri / (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

To even get back to an average level defensiely, the Carolina Panthers have a ton of work to do on their roster this offseason. Every position group has to addressed, but the interior defensive line is probably their weakest link. After Derrick Brown's season-ending injury in Week 1, the depth of this unit was exposed in a bad way for the rest ofthe year.

Every single interior lineman the Panthers put on the field was both ineffective as a pass rusher and utterly hopeless against the run, so it's not difficult to imagine the front office replacing everyone beneath Brown on the depth chart in the coming days - beginning with making Shy Tuttle and A'Shawn Robinson salary cap casualties.

To fix this group most likely they'll have to seek out improvments in the draft as well as in free agency, where an intriguing new name is about to hit the market. Yesterday the CIncinnati Bengals released veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, a former first-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints. Last Word on Sports sees Rankins as a potential target for the Panthers.

LWOS on Panthers - Sheldon Rankins

"Last season, they spent the majority of it rebuilding an offense for quarterback Bryce Young, but it’s time to improve its defense... Rankins might be a defensive tackle but he could add some type of boost for the entire defensive line to provide some balance to relieve the stress from Brown."

Football: NFC Playoffs: New Orleans Saints Sheldon Rankins (98) in action vs Carolina Panthers at Mercedes Benz Superdome. New Orleans, LA 1/7/2018 CREDIT: David E. Klutho / (Photo by David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X161606 TK1 )

Rankins (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) comes with a solid track record, beginning with 116 career games played since the Saints drafted him in 2016. His experience spans several different schemes after putting in five years in New Orleans, two with the Jets, one in Houston and one in Cincinnati. All together, Rankins has put up 30.5 sacks, 69 quarterback hits and 44 tackles for a loss.

This is a pretty solid target for Carolina in free agency - Rankins has never made a Pro Bowl team but has consistently played at a respectable level. Rankins is also coming off a great year as a pass rusher, putting up six sacks and 10 quarterback hits - his best production since te 2018 season.

The Panthers should definitely invest in this position group in the draft, but signing Rankins would give them a sure thing to start next to Brown in 2025 and at this stage of his career he won't break the bank.

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