Panthers waive 2023 third-round pick following latest blowout loss
The Carolina Panthers’ much maligned 2023 draft class took another hit on Tuesday. The team waived 2023 third-round pick, outside linebacker D.J. Johnson, as part of a pair of moves to begin Week 5.
Special teams ace/wide receiver Dalevon Campbell was also waived, but he received an injury designation. Campbell will return to the team on its injured reserve list if he passes through waivers. If Johnson passes through waivers, he will immediately become a free agent.
Both players took part in Sunday’s 42-13 blowout loss to the New England Patriots. Johnson, who received 24 defensive snaps against the Patriots, performed poorly as a run defender and pass rusher. Campbell served as a gunner and fill-in wide receiver before sustaining a hamstring injury in the game. Campbell joined the team before Week 1 as a waiver claim from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Johnson’s departure gives the Panthers just two remaining players from their 2023 draft class, the final group selected under former general manager Scott Fitterer. Quarterback Bryce Young, the first overall pick in 2023, and guard Chandler Zavala, a fourth-round pick, are the only remaining members.
The team traded wideout Jonathan Mingo, a second-round pick, to the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of last season. Defensive back Jammie Robinson, a fifth-round selection, was waived by the team shortly after Mingo’s departure.
Robinson was waived by the Arizona Cardinals, who claimed Robinson last year, in August as part of their annual 53-man deadline roster purge. He is currently on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.
Johnson’s exodus from Carolina follows more than two years of underwhelming production on defense and special teams. Billed as a run stopper, Johnson, 26, produced 62 tackles, a half sack and two pass breakups in 31 career regular-season games (five starts).
NFL draft picks push DJ Johnson from the roster
Johnson was outplayed throughout the summer by Thomas Incoom, who joined the team midway through last season from the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. Johnson also dealt with a hip injury that cost him the final two games of the preseason.
Johnson’s push from the roster became a likely scenario after the Panthers signed Patrick Jones in free agency and selected Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on Day 2 of April’s NFL Draft. Incoom’s steady rise throughout the summer, especially on special teams, made Johnson even more expendable.
However, Jones enduring a hamstring injury in the first month of the season, and holdover DJ Wonnum dealing with a hip injury, Johnson’s presence became necessary against the Patriots. He registered just one tackle, despite playing heavy snaps.
An odd choice from the start
Johnson, who split his college career between Miami and Oregon, was a highly recruited high school prospect. Following his transfer to Oregon, Johnson split his time between playing tight end and defensive end.
Johnson’s lack of experience as pass rusher was evident in his first training camp with the Panthers. He flashed as a run stopper, but he never seemed to evolve outside of that skill set.
The Panthers famously traded up with the Pittsburgh Steelers to select Johnson in the third round of the 2023 draft. Unfortunately for the team and the player, Johnson was never able to live up to his draft billing.
Now subject to waivers
Johnson will now be subject to waivers. He will become a free agent if not claimed on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound outside linebacker has a draft pedigree that could entice other squads. Johnson ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash as a prospect, which could help him find a better spot in another lineup with a creative defensive coordinator.
The Panthers will move forward with Jones, Scourton, Umanmielen, Wonnum and Incoom as their primary outside linebacker rotation.
The main roster now has two openings. The depth chart stands at 51 players following the departures of Campbell and Johnson.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM.
