Latest injury news adds salt to the wound for Carolina Panthers following blowout loss to New Orleans Saints
The Carolina Panthers lost more than just a game on Sunday as the team fears that Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero broke the news on X (Twitter) on Monday. Brown will need to have surgery on his meniscus, […]
The Carolina Panthers lost more than just a game on Sunday as the team fears that Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero broke the news on X (Twitter) on Monday.
Brown will need to have surgery on his meniscus, then a timetable will be determined for his recovery. Even if by a small chance he can return this year, he's going to miss the majority of the season. Brown is regarded by many as being the Panthers' best player and replacing him will be a virtually impossible task.
Brown recorded three total tackles in Carolina's 47-10 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints. It is unclear exactly when he suffered the injury as he played 60 of the Panthers 66 defensive snaps. Sunday's loss to the Saints was the Panthers fourth-largest margin of defeat in team history.
Carolina signed Brown to a four-year, $96 million extension during the offseason. It was much deserving after Brown set an NFL record for tackles by a defensive lineman in 2023 with 103. Entering this year Brown has amassed 245 total tackles, eight sacks and two interceptions in four seasons.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had plans for Brown to have a bigger impact as a pass rusher in 2024, saying this about him last week:
“In my opinion, arguably the best run player in the NFL," Evero said about Brown. "And, like I said earlier, the pressures were there, he affects the quarterback. He’s a hard man to block, run or pass, one-on-one. But at the end of the day, we want to translate those into more sack production. I think this guy can get eight to 10 sacks this season.”
The Panthers entered the season a bit thin along the defensive line, so it's reasonable to believe that they will look to add a player or two in the coming days to reenforce the unit. In the meantime, they'll look towards backups LaBryan Ray and Jayden Peevy to pick up the slack during Brown's absence.
In Week 2 Carolina will host the Los Angeles Chargers in its home opener Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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