Panthers are counting on this obscure defender for ‘dirty work’ in the trenches
When the Dallas Cowboys bring their top-10 rushing offense to town on Sunday, they’ll almost certainly see LaBryan Ray on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. The obscure defensive lineman spent the first month of the season on the shelf, but after returning for the 27-24 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins, the former Alabama standout is expected to be a healthy presence in the trenches for the Carolina Panthers.
Ray has logged more games under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero than any defender on the Panthers’ roster. His 34 appearances over the past three years exceed the totals of Pro Bowlers like Derrick Brown (23 games) and Jaycee Horn (26 games), who have battled through notable injuries during Evero’s tenure. Ray, who spent the spring of 2022 in the now-defunct United States Football League (USFL), has carved out a role within a revolving-door defensive front.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman, who nursed a high-ankle sprain throughout August and September, returned to the lineup late in the first quarter of the Week 5 win against Miami. After getting blown up by a double-team block on a passing play, Ray bounced back and made a pair of run stops around the line of scrimmage over the span of just four plays.
“Adversity ... is gonna come,” Ray told The Observer. “It’s about how you respond and having belief in yourself — knowing that your team is also believing in you, coaches believe in you, too, so that gives you all the confidence that you (can) just go out there and play.”
And while those two first-quarter stops came before the second-half turnaround against the Dolphins, Ray played an early role in holding the Dolphins to 19 rushing yards on 14 carries. Two totes came Ray’s way, and he held the Dolphins to three total yards on the pair of runs.
Those contributions were valued by Evero, who has been seeking ways to clog up holes against opposing rushing attacks. Ray’s comeback performance likely earned him more opportunities as the season continues to take shape.
That’s a step in the right direction for a player most Panthers fans wouldn’t recognize in their game-day programs, even though he has been in Carolina for three years.
“When you have a successful unit or a successful team, you’ve got to have guys like LaBryan,” Evero said. “Guys that do all the dirty work that people don’t notice but are so critical to success. And, you know, he gets in there, he plays the run game, he plays blocks, he’s physical, makes tackles. He hustles — he’s got a great, great play style about him. And there are so many times that he — you noticed the two tackles he made, obviously (against Miami) — but there’s so many significant things that he does in the game that really go unnoticed, that he’s made over the last couple of years with us.
“I couldn’t have higher praise for a player and a professional,” Evero added. “And he’s really helped our football team.”
From Alabama to pro football adversity
Ray, a five-star recruit out of James Clemens High School, won two national championships at Alabama. Despite that team success, he wasn’t among the program’s vaunted group of NFL hopefuls making pre-draft buzz in 2022 because of an injury riddled college career.
Ray went undrafted. He ended up signing with the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent. He failed to make the 53-man roster but spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad. He was released following the season.
Out of football and looking for an opportunity, he joined the USFL and played for the Philadelphia Stars as part of the revived spring league.
While the USFL was a fledging operation, lacking the glitz and glamour of the NFL, it provided Ray with an opportunity to put his talent on film. With regular playing time, he was able to show NFL teams how he could operate in a game-day setting.
Eventually, the Panthers called in the summer of 2023.
In hindsight, Ray’s time in the spring league gave him important perspective.
“On my journey, (there’s) been some ups and there’s been some downs,” Ray said. “But I would just say just be present – just stay present — be where your feet are, and I feel like if you do that you, you’re gonna allow yourself to focus in a moment, too.”
Ray was part of the Panthers’ final training camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 2023. He challenged the incumbent talent on the defensive line as Evero, in his first year as defensive coordinator, was looking to put together a defensive line rotation.
Under the guidance of his position coach, Todd Wash, Ray was able to stand out in the preseason. He produced four tackles, a sack and a pass breakup in three preseason games. That performance helped him become a surprise member of the team’s 53-man roster entering the regular season.
“He’s going to do everything we coach him to do,” Wash told The Observer.
And the defensive line coach isn’t shy about dishing out instructions, either, according to Ray.
“He’s gonna give it to you straight up, and he’s gonna tell you exactly what you need to improve on and how to get better,” Ray said about Wash. “He makes it very easy on us — he’s very direct – and you just gotta take what he says and then apply it to the field.”
Once Ray got his opportunity, he became “dirty work” depth on the defensive line. He played 33 games over the past two seasons, collecting 56 tackles and a sack.
“He’s a high-motor guy,” veteran defensive end A’Shawn Robinson said. “He plays with great technique, good leverage — gets on and off blocks — he’s a playmaker.”
How LaBryan Ray can shine
After two years of woes against the run, the Panthers’ front office upgraded the defense with a big batch of new faces in the trenches.
The team signed defensive end Tershawn “Turk” Wharton and nose tackle Bobby Brown to big contracts in free agency. They also selected nose tackle Cam Jackson in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
With the upgrades to the line, it seemed as though Ray could be pushed off the roster. On the surface, there was little margin for error, and his mid-camp ankle injury only made his situation look worse.
But given his experience in the scheme, the Panthers played the long game, valuing Ray’s energy and technique on the line.
“We feel that he’s a very physical run defender who can play a lot of different spots,” Wash said. “I wouldn’t say he’s a great pass rusher, but we try to put him in situations where he plays against the run. So, we feel like he’s got good strength and power. He can really play square in our system.”
Ahead of the 53-man roster deadline in August, Ray was placed on injured reserve with a return designation, saving the Panthers a roster spot, while also preserving Ray’s services in 2025. When Ray became eligible to return in Week 5, the Panthers immediately elected to activate his 21-day practice window.
He was added the 53-man roster a few days later, and he was on the field against Miami the following day.
“I was just glad to be out there with my brothers,” Ray said. “Being out, since like August, like it has been hard sometimes, like just being honest. But just to be able to be out there, with them and doing what I love, honestly, like you can’t get better than that. You really can’t.”
With Wharton sidelined with a toe injury, Ray could log regular snaps alongside the likes of Robinson, Jackson and Derrick and Bobby Brown over the next few weeks.
Ray knows the defense, he’s feeling comfortable after a solid return, and he’s got the trust of his coaches and teammates to take advantage of his latest opportunity.
There are worse places to be as a dark-horse defender looking to find and keep his place in the NFL.
