The Carolina Panthers added reinforcements to their embattled defense in free agency. While they came up short in their pursuit of Milton Williams, Carolina still came away with a haul adding former Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig and former Los Angeles Rams and defensive tackle Bobby Brown III.
But another addition to the defense that allowed the most points in NFL history last season comes with some upside. Tershawn Wharton signed a three-year, $45 million contract with Carolina last week and had some parting words for his former team.
New Panthers DT Tershawn Wharton Believes He Was Misused With Chiefs
According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Wharton claimed that he played out of position as a pass-rushing nose tackle with the Chiefs. While he insisted he can be effective anywhere, he believes he can be dominant as a three-tech defensive tackle.
The difference between a nose tackle and a three-tech involves the positioning and the duties within the defense. A nose tackle is usually focused on taking up offensive lineman and playing the run while the three-tech attempts to penetrate the offensive line to make plays in the backfield.
Each defense is different but Wharton’s claim is backed up by the stats. Wharton never was an elite run stuffer in Kansas City, logging a career-high run defense grade of 51.5 in 2022. But he fared much better as a pass-rusher, recording 42 pressures on 514 pass-rushing snaps last season.
It makes Wharton a great fit in Carolina’s offense. Derrick Brown has been an elite run stuffer during his time in the league and is capable of playing multiple positions in Ejiro Evero’s defense. He is also coming off a torn meniscus that ended his 2024 season after one game but he could be a more dynamic player playing next to a pass-rusher like Wharton.
Whatever the finished product looks like, the Panthers have nowhere to go but up. Hopefully, Wharton fits well in Carolina’s defense and helps it improve in 2025.