Panthers Sign Jadeveon Clowney Replacement in Latest Free Agency Projection

The Carolina Panthers won their fourth game of the season when they defeated the Cardinals on Sunday to end their playoff hopes. Under Dave Canales, the Panthers already doubled their win total from a year ago and even though there is still plenty of work to do, there is more light at the end of the tunnel in Carolina.

Panthers fans would love to see another win or two against their division rivals in the last two weeks of the season but most have turned their attention to the offseason and the 2025 campaign. The fanbase and the organization will be desperate to end their seven-year-long playoff drought. To do that, they need upgrades to the roster and the Bleacher Report made projections about what that might look like.

One move the Bleacher Report says the Panthers should prioritize is signing a pass rusher. The player they have in mind is Azeez Ojulari of the New York Giants.

Despite signing Jadeveon Clowney and DJ Wonnum in free agency, the Panthers defense failed to take a step forward this season. In fact, they went from the 29th-best defense to dead last in terms of points allowed. PFF has Carolina graded as the worst pass-rushing and run-defense team in the league.

Individually, Clowney is having a solid season, registering 3.5 sacks in 12 games and putting up a 71.0 PFF grade. However, he is going to be 32 next season and will be in the final year of his contract.

Ojulari offers a long-term solution at EDGE. He is only 24 years old and has been one of the bright spots on a miserable Giants team this season. In 11 games, he has six sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. He is the type of high-upside player who the Panthers need to take a flyer on to take the next step. Regardless of what happens to the rest of the pass rush rotation, adding a player of Ojulari's caliber would do wonders for the defense.

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