Panthers mailbag: Will defensive rookies get heavy playing time in Year 1?
The Carolina Panthers completed their 2025 NFL Draft class on Saturday, and while the incoming group makes the team better (on paper), fans are naturally curious about how all the new pieces fit.
So, The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer questions and concerns heading into rookie minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs).
Here are some standout questions from social media:
Panthers mailbag: Still slim at safety?
Matthew on X, formerly known as Twitter, asks: How do you think they will address the slim safety room and do you expect these defensive rookies to get majority playing time?
The Panthers waited until the fourth round to select a safety during draft weekend. While that might have been a surprising wait, given the lack of depth at the position, Lathan Ransom has the tools and upside to be a huge addition for the locker room and the secondary. He’s got good character makeup and is tough as nails. Plus, he clearly fits the “dawg” complex that the front office covets.
The Panthers currently have Ransom, Tre’von Moehrig, Demani Richardson and Nick Scott at the position. They’ve also reportedly agreed to terms with three undrafted safeties. But that’s not enough proven talent to take to training camp, let alone start the season with.
The team hosted veterans Julian Blackmon and Marcus Williams on a visit in March. With free agency picking up again after the draft, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Panthers revisit one or both of those options in the coming days and weeks. Blackmon and Williams haven’t signed anywhere else, and Blackmon, in particular, would be a strong complement to Moehrig and Ransom as a deep-coverage safety. Otherwise, there aren’t a whole lot of options available, unless the Panthers are waiting to see what teams do with their post-draft roster moves.
In regard to the defensive rookies receiving the bulk of the playing time, that’s not likely to happen (at least early on) based on defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s history as a play-caller (though, that’s admittedly a small sample size). During his three-year defensive coordinator career, he has typically held off on starting first-year players until absolutely necessary due to injury or poor play.
For instance, during his lone season in Denver, second-round pick Nik Bonitto — a 2024 Pro Bowler — started just one of 15 games and played just 35% of the defensive snaps as a rookie. He was inactive his first two regular-season games in Denver under Evero. Damarri Mathis, a fourth-round cornerback, didn’t start until veteran Ronald Darby tore his ACL in Week 5 of the 2022 season.
In Carolina, Evero’s patience with playing rookies has been strikingly similar. In 2023, DJ Johnson didn’t play regular defensive snaps until there were several injuries at the position. The same could be said for Jammie Robinson, who was released midway through his second year.
Last year, third-round pick Trevin Wallace didn’t get regular defensive snaps until he was asked to start in place of an injured Shaq Thompson after Week 4. Chau Smith-Wade got a spot start at nickel corner in Week 5 due to injury, and then he was shelved until Dane Jackson’s performance forced a change in favor of the rookie in Week 12. Richardson, an undrafted free agent, only started playing after injuries and poor play led to his arrival on the main roster in Week 8.
So, if Evero doesn’t change his ways, most of the rookies on defense won’t receive significant playing time until circumstances dictate that they must be on the field. That said, it’s going to be very hard for him to avoid playing rookies at safety and outside linebacker early in the season because of how the roster has shaken out.
Who has the edge?
CJ on X asks: Edge group needed upgrades/youth injection. Room is “crowded” now. Any early guesses on who makes the cut?
D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones are locked into the roster as young veterans who will play a lot of snaps. Second-round pick Nic Scourton should gradually become a staple of the defense, while third-round pick Princely Umanmielen, at worst, will serve as a rotational pass rusher as a rookie. From there, the rest of the group seems in flux.
GM Dan Morgan sidestepped questions about Jadeveon Clowney’s future during draft weekend.
Releasing Clowney would save the Panthers $7.78 million — with a trade saving an additional $2 million — on the salary cap, and that would be without making him a post-June 1 move. That savings could basically pay for the majority of the draft class. It could also free up space to sign a veteran starting safety or inside linebacker or both.
The one problem with dropping Clowney for cap space is Evero doesn’t have a history of playing rookies early. So, unless he’s magically changed his approach, that move would be pretty bold.
The Panthers would need to feel very good about Wonnum and Jones taking on the bulk of the snaps early if they were to let go of Clowney. They’d also have to feel pretty good about Scourton’s development timeline as a 20-year-old coming off a 20-plus-pound weight-loss transformation. Umanmielen, despite going a round later than Scourton, feels like a rookie who should be able to play right away in a rotational role.
The Panthers are likely to keep five or six outside linebackers. With Jones, Wonnum and the two rookies locked in, that leaves room for Clowney and one other guy. If the Panthers move on from Clowney, that would leave two spots open (math!).
Johnson, Amare Barno, Thomas Incoom, Kenny Dyson and journeyman Boogie Basham are competing with Clowney (at least, for now) for those two spots. Barno, in this beat writer’s view, has an edge because the Panthers need to replace Sam Franklin and Lonnie Johnson at gunner on punt coverage, and Barno offers a unique blend of size and speed at that spot. Barno’s ability to get down the field at 6-foot-6 and 246 pounds is remarkable, and his physicality as a tackler should help in that regard as well.
Johnson is a curious case. He turns 27 in October and has a half-sack on his resume through two seasons. He was unquestionably over-drafted as a 2023 third-round pick, and he is still learning to how to rush the passer at the NFL level.
The Panthers wouldn’t have double-dipped on Day 2 of this year’s draft if they felt confident in Johnson’s trajectory entering Year 3. He’s going to need to battle and force the Panthers to keep six pass rushers this offseason. If Clowney is here, it would be hard to see Johnson sticking around.
Moton’s future in question
Adam on BlueSky asks: What’s the story with Taylor Moton? Feels like there’s a bigger story there.
There is likely a lot of nuance to the plan here. The front office appears to be very disciplined and calculated in its second offseason, and the Moton conversation is almost-assuredly one they haven’t taken lightly.
Moton has been an iron man for the Panthers during his eight seasons with the franchise. He didn’t miss a game in his first seven seasons before missing three this past year due to elbow and knee injuries. While he’s never been voted to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Moton has been one of the best pass-blocking right tackles in the league for several years.
However, it is worth noting that he turns 31 in August, and the Panthers have already used a maintenance plan to help keep him fresh during the practice week.
He appeared on the injury report with a “not injury related/rest” tag eight times last season, as the Panthers limited his workout time. He also landed on the injury report with an elbow injury for three weeks (Weeks 6 to 8), and he battled knee injuries throughout the year, landing on the injury report with those issues four separate times (Weeks 2, 11, 17 and 18), though it isn’t exactly clear if all four stints were related.
With good-to-great starting tackles averaging between $17 to $28 million per year, it’s understandable that the Panthers wouldn’t want to leap into another long-term deal with a guy entering his ninth season on the wrong side of 30. Moton has been a workhorse, but with the amount of money invested in guard (and now at left tackle with Ikem Ekwonu’s fifth-year option pickup), it makes sense that the front office would look at right tackle and want to keep its options open.
The Panthers didn’t select an offensive tackle in the draft and both of their main backups, Brady Christensen and Yosh Nijman, are on contracts that expire next year. It’s possible that the Panthers want to see how Moton performs this year before committing to him on a bigger deal, even with a lofty $31.34 million salary cap hit (due to multiple contract restructures) to contend with.
Moton is in the final year of his deal, which gives the player and the Panthers flexibility in 2026. If Moton plays well out of the gate, the Panthers could always extend him. If Moton feels slighted, he could always wait for the end of the season and look a long-term deal elsewhere.
More like 0 line...
Joe on X asks: Should offensive line depth be a concern now that we’ve gone two drafts without taking a lineman?
The previous question somewhat flows into this one. The Panthers are clearly keeping their options open along the offensive line.
While the group runs about two units deeps right now, Moton, Christensen, Nijman, Austin Corbett and Cade Mays are all set to hit free agency next year. There’s a foundation, but also some fluidity there.
Typically, teams like to select an offensive lineman every draft. However, with the host of needs the team had entering the draft, it’s easy to see why they passed on that notion. The Panthers needed to field a competitive team this year, and Carolina has about 10 quality offensive linemen on their depth chart. So, thin spots like outside linebacker, safety, wideout and tight end took precedent.
With the way everything has shaken out, it’d be fair to expect the team to invest in the offensive line next year, both in free agency and the draft. They’ll have a surplus of cap space, and with so many moving parts on expiring contracts, the unit will look at least a tad different next year.
The starting left tackle, left guard and right guard will all be here next year. Chandler Zavala, the top backup guard, is signed through 2026 as well. Mays and Corbett will compete for the starting center job this summer, and there stands a chance that the winner will receive an extension eventually. The team has also reportedly agreed to terms with three offensive linemen as undrafted free agents, so they could technically fill the “draft pick” void, too.
Also, keep an eye on second-year linemen Andrew Raym and Jarrett Kingston, who the staff seems to like as developmental players.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
