Panthers’ LB hopes gained steam at the NFL Combine after meeting with top prospects and news broke on an ideal veteran option
Dan Morgan’s desire to land a top linebacker just got serious momentum on Wednesday at the NFL Combine.
Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan has been very adamant about adding to the linebacker position this offseason and once again brought up the position while speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“In terms of free agency and in the draft, I think that’s a position that we’ll try to attack,” Morgan said. “We’re looking for guys that are leaders, that are playmakers, and that are culture fits for us. So, we’re excited about attacking that and putting the work in.”
It’s clear Morgan intends to overhaul the position over the next few months and bring the Panthers’ linebacker position back to its former glory. As a former linebacker himself, Morgan has an idea of what qualities to look for in his search of finding the next great Panthers linebacker.
“I would say the No. 1 thing is, standing in front of that huddle, those 10 other guys are looking at you,” Morgan added. “I think that guy has to be a really good leader, somebody that the guys are going to follow, somebody that the guys are going to respect. And then obviously from a playing standpoint, you have to be instinctual, you have to be smart, you have to be tough, you have to be physical. Those are the type of guys we want to bring in here, and he’s got to fit with our culture. He’s got to be our type of guy.”
Panthers met with multiple top linebacker prospects at the NFL Combine on Wednesday
News on the linebacker front, obviously, gained some steam on Wednesday when the linebacker prospects stepped up to the podium to speak with the media. Two of the top linebacker prospects revealed they met with the Panthers in Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.
Styles would be the perfect first-round option for the Panthers, but it’s looking more and more unlikely that he’ll be available when the Panthers are on the clock with the 19th overall pick. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah even noted ahead of the event that Styles would be the dream target for the Panthers and someone worth trading up to select.
After meeting with the team, Styles had nothing but great things to say about getting to know the team’s top executive.
“You could tell he played. Obviously, I knew his history already, but you could tell by the way he was asking questions and asking about eye progression and things like that. It was awesome,” Styles said of his meeting with the Panthers. “He’s in there asking some good questions to me, so that was an awesome experience. I thought that meeting went really well, so it was a good time.”
Rodriguez, the 2025 Bronko Nagurski trophy winner, has now met with team for the second time in the pre-draft process after previously meeting with the Panthers at the Senior Bowl. His stock has quickly been rising since that event but still projects as a potential Day 2 option.
“I met with the Panthers at the Senior Bowl, I met with them here. It’s been great,” Rodriguez said. “I’d be excited to be in Charlotte. I went [there] for the Nagurski and I thought it was a beautiful place. I would love to see myself there as well. I think everything they do from top down, I think just a great organization that is trending very well.”
Tremaine Edmunds news puts a veteran option on the market for the Panthers
As for the “free agent” route, a top name surfaced on Wednesday that would be an ideal fit for the Panthers when the Chicago Bears announced that they granted starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade.
Edmunds has one year remaining on his current contract that comes with a $15 million cap hit. This should be the kind of move the Panthers jump at to add an instinctual starting linebacker, who’s still only 27-years-old despite going into his ninth NFL season.
Edmunds was also a valuable leader in Chicago and started the 2025 season at a Pro Bowl level before suffering a groin injury. However, he managed to return later in the season, just not at the same level he was playing at before. The injury isn’t expected to be a lingering concern for whatever team looks to acquire him either via trade or off the open market if the Bears end up releasing him.
The combination of a veteran like Edmunds with a top rookie would revamp the second level of the Panthers’ defense going into the 2026 season.
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