Panthers Make First Offseason Signing to Bolster Their Defense

The Carolina Panthers will have their hands full this offseason. After missing the playoffs in the first year of the Dave Canales and Dan Morgan tenure, they will be seeking to add more talent throughout the offseason.

The Panthers' defense needs a ton of work. This past season, they were 32nd in the league in team defense (404.5), run defense (179.8), and scoring defense (31.4). They were also 23rd in pass defense (224.7).

Despite being one of the worst defenses in the league, the Panthers retained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. On Friday, Carolina made an addition to the defensive side of the ball. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Panthers are signing defensive tackle Jerrod Clark to a reserve/future deal.

Panthers News: Panthers Added DT Jerrod Clark on Friday

Clark was an undrafted free agent and landed on the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad in 2023. He was signed to a reserve/future contract in Jan. 2024 and was waived in August before the season started.

He will now get a chance to make the roster during minicamp and training camp. Over three seasons at Coastal Carolina, Clark had 105 total tackles, 18 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.

The Panthers defensive line needs to have more production going forward, and the Panthers think that Clark could be a player who helps elevate that unit. Granted, he hasn't suited up in an NFL game yet but his skillset was intriguing to the Panthers.

This past season, Carolina was 30th in team sacks (32). That isn't good enough and they know it.

Per Overthecap.com, they will have $21 million in cap space but that number could rise with cuts and contract restructures. The Panthers also have nine draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, which they can use to improve this defense.

The addition of Clark was just the first of many defensive additions for the Panthers in 2025.

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