The only player from the Carolina Panthers listed in CBS Sports’ Top-100 player rankings? Derrick Brown, a defensive lineman, you guessed it.
“He appeared to be a future star when he left Auburn. Although he hasn’t performed as well as I had anticipated when it comes to rushing the passer, he is excellent versus the run. Perhaps a switch up in defensive tactics will enable him to produce better pass-rush results this year.”Pete Prisco Brown, the fourth-highest rated defensive tackle behind Dexter Lawrence (Giants), Quinnen Williams (Jets), and Justin Madubuike (Ravens), is ranked No. 59 overall on the list. It would be inaccurate to argue that Brown doesn’t make much of an impact in the passing game, even though he has only recorded eight sacks in four seasons. His performance in other pass-rushing metrics is also good.
The Panthers’ habit of trailing for the bulk of games is the primary reason Brown’s numbers in 2023 aren’t quite as spectacular. Teams were using the ball extensively, which reduced the number of pass-rush opportunities. Williams is the only one of the other three players on the list to have faced more rushing attempts per game than Brown.
Finally, I’m not clear if Prisco is advocating for a modification of defensive strategies or if that particular aspect of his research was flawed. Of course, Carolina’s defence won’t change with Ejiro Evero back in charge of defence strategy.
