Assuming that both Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen have relatively high-quality rookie seasons, the Carolina Panthers could have had one of the deepest edge/defensive line groups in the league this year. That was contingent on them keeping their best pass rusher and pairing him with DJ Wonnum for a full season, though.
We can forget that scenario because one month ago today the Panthers made a surprise move by releasing veteran Jadeveon Clowney, who had led the team with 5.5 sacks last season. While that’s a low number it was hardly the fault of Clowney, who had exactly no help getting to the quarterback until Wonnum finally joined the lineup Week 10.
And so, the Panthers are slated to start Wonnum and free agent pickup Patrick Jones II, with Scourton and Umanmielen rotating in. That could still be a solid group, but on paper it looks much weaker with Clowney out of the picture at the top of the depth chart. The Panthers also saved less than $8 million by cutting Clowney, making the move even more difficult to swallow.
One way they could make up for it is by adding some more defensive line firepower between now and Week 1. On that score, one name to watch is A.J. Epenesa, a second-round pick from 2020 by the Buffalo Bills, who might be on the trade block, according to Bleacher Report.
If the Bills do end up shopping Epenesa, then Last Word on Sports believes the Panthers should be one of the teams in the mix to trade for him.
While Carolina’s defensive line needs all the help it can get right now, this would fall a little short of what they were projected to get from Clowney. Epenesa has posted at least six sacks and 10 quarterback hits three years in a row, but he hasn’t yet become the true impact player he appeared to be coming out of Iowa and after four seasons in the NFL it looks unlikely to happen.
Epenesa may have already peaked in the 2023 season with the Bills, earning an 80.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for the year. Otherwise he hasn’t eared a grade higher than 64.7, which is what he got for his rookie season.
The Panthers could use more help up front, but we’d rather they use that cap room they saved from the Clowney cut on someone better – or address the back end of their defense, which is far thinner compared to this position group.