Updated Jan. 27, 2026, 3:44 p.m. ET
Could the Carolina Panthers make one of the biggest splashes of the spring?
A handful of contributors over at ESPN have recently pieced together a rather intriguing preview of the 2026 offseason. The comprehensive guide includes needs, priorities, draft outlooks and big predictions for all 32 teams.
As for the prediction on the Panthers, analyst Aaron Schatz called quite a shot involving a four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. He writes:
The Panthers will pay big money to Trey Hendrickson. The Panthers ranked 24th in pass rush win rate this season, and while they took two edge rushers high in the 2025 draft (Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen), they could use a steady veteran to lead the attack.
The 31-year-old is set to free agency after an injury-shortened campaign, where he totaled 4.0 sacks over seven games. Hendrickson, the season prior, led the NFL with 17.5 sacks en route to a first-team All-Pro selection.
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Carolina certainly needs to add some juice off the edge. While Scourton and Umanmielen did flash some promise, the Panthers defense finished with the second-lowest pressure rate (16.5 percent) as well as the third-fewest sacks (30) in 2025.
General manager Dan Morgan has alluded to the team’s struggles in getting to opposing quarterbacks.
“Our pass rush, obviously—to me, and everybody in the building will tell you—wasn’t up to par,” Morgan stated in an interview on WFNZ’s Mac & Bone two weeks ago. “We had the second-lowest pressure rate in the league this year. Obviously, that’s not acceptable. And if you’re not protecting the quarterback and you’re not affecting the quarterback, you’re not gonna win many games in this league—especially at a consistent level.”
Well, they may not get as consistent as Hendrickson—who, prior to 2025, recorded at least 13.5 sacks in four of his previous five seasons.
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