The Carolina Panthers have made a concerted effort to upgrade their defense this offseason after struggling on that side of the ball this past season.
The Panthers allowed the most rushing yards in the NFL (179.8 yards per game), were ranked 30th in sacks (32), and ranked dead last in scoring (31.4 points per game). Based on all those factors, Carolina went on a spending spree in free agency, signing Trevon Moehrig, Patrick Jones II, Bobby Brown III, Tershawn Wharton, and Christian Rozeboom.
The Panthers hope those additions will make a difference at all three levels of the defense, but fans should expect them to add more to the defensive unit in the 2025 NFL Draft in a couple of weeks. If that’s the case, one Panthers defender could be the odd man out with the NFL’s three-day extravaganza on the horizon.
Panthers OLB Amare Barno Could Be Odd Man Out in Carolina
As previously mentioned, Carolina bolstered its pass rush/OLB position, signing Patrick Jones II to a two-year, $15 million deal last month. Jones could start opposite Jadeveon Clowney on defense this upcoming season, with DJ Wonnum as the backup, who was inked to a two-year, $12.5 million deal last offseason.
Also, the Panthers have DJ Johnson, who was taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. When you consider those players on the roster, it makes sense why the former sixth-round pick could be considered good as gone ahead of the draft..
The 25-year-old Barno appeared in 24 games over his first two years in the NFL after Carolina took him with the 189th overall pick. Barno was selected under a different regime, as Matt Rhule and Scott Fitterer were the head coach and general manager.
After only playing in nine games as a rookie in 2022, the former Day 3 pick saw his playing time increase in 2023 under then-head coach Frank Reich and new defensive coordinator Eviro Ejiro.
The former Virginia Tech defender had 21 combined tackles and a tackle for loss in 15 games in his second year. Barno also made one start in his sophomore year and played 20 percent of defensive snaps.
However, the young defender’s 2023 season ended on a sour note as he suffered a torn ACL in Week 16. Barno started the 2024 campaign immediately on the PUP list during training camp but was activated on November 30.
Barno appeared in five games last season, playing snaps on defense and special teams. He had seven combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. It was good to see him back on the field, but Barno would be placed on IR ahead of the Panthers’ regular season finale with a shoulder injury.
That said, the former sixth-round pick enters this upcoming season on the last year of his rookie deal. For a late Day 3 pick, he’s exceeded expectations by appearing in 29 games and finding his role on special teams.
However, with the Panthers continuing to add more playmakers to the pass rush in free agency and possibly the draft, Barno’s path to make the 53-man roster could be hard, even if he’s a solid special teams player.