The Carolina Panthers will enter their 3rd preseason game this Friday, meeting the Jacksonville Jaguars in their stadium after a week of team practices to build up some tension. This might be the most we see of the Panthers starters on both sides of the football, and the Panthers defense is still working out some depth questions there. They should get a fair amount of the Jaguars first team offense, so this one should be a nice measuring stick for how this defense is going to look in the regular
season. Let’s dive in.
Pass rush continue to stand up
Jaelan Phillips looked every bit as productive as you’d expect for the highest paid free agent signing on the market from the off-season, logging a sack on Josh Allen and generally being the disruptive force for the limited snaps he got. It was nice to see Phillips flash, and the real question is going to be depth at that position. Cam Gill, Trevis Gipson, and DT Aaron Hall accounted for 2 more sacks between them against the Bills, and I was particularly impressed with all 3 of them. Gill was a pass rush specialist with the Louisville Kings with 10 sacks and being named UFL Defensive Player of the Year earlier this season, so continuing that momentum could earn him a real shot at being part of the pass rush rotation for the Panthers in 2026, following a couple of stints with the Panthers since 2024.
Jackson Kuwatch a name to observe for ILB competition?
The Panthers are allowing Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus to fight it out for the open inside linebacker position opposite Devin Lloyd during the preseason, and neither seems to have pulled a head of the other so far. Kuwatch, meanwhile, has been all over the field when given snaps, and while that is nice, he definitely needs some seasoning as far as functional strength and getting pushed around by opposing blockers. Still, the 2026 7th round pick is showing enough that he may very well make the roster at a position of relative weakness. Obviously, every rookie’s challenge is usually catching up to the speed of the NFL from college. His snaps may be ones to really monitor during this game.
Lathan Ransom and Zakee Wheatley continue to impress at safety
Tweets have been abound on social media about Ransom and Wheatley making plays throughout the off-season, and both could very much be vying for more first team snaps come the regular season. The Panthers have devoted mostly late round picks and UDFAs to the safety position behind Tre’Von Moehrig, and Nick Scott, while serving as the veteran presence, could see his snaps eaten into if these two continue on an upward trajectory. Watch the back end of the defense during this game, folks, it could be fun.
What do you want to see from the Panthers defense on Friday?
