JULY 25: Kemoko Turay is joining Haynes at today’s workout, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets. Failing to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster last year, Turay spent most of the season out of football. The former Colts second-rounder has not panned out, but he did total 5.5 sacks as a rotational cog in 2021. The Panthers now have Ngakoue and Lawson set to audition Friday.
JULY 24, 5:09pm: Marquis Haynes, a pass rusher who has been a Panther throughout his six-year career, will be part of Thursday’s workout group as well, Kaye adds. Added under Ron Rivera, Haynes has played for six HCs. Though, the Panthers have some continuity on defense, at least, with Ejiro Evero coming back for a second season as DC. After a five-sack 2022, Haynes missed much of last season due to a back injury.
10:09am: The Brian Burns trade led to a Panthers reboot on the edge. For now, the team is taking a veteran-heavy approach at the position. Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson are in place as Carolina’s most notable outside linebackers. The team is still looking for similar help here.
After not drafting an edge player, the Panthers placed Wonnum on their active/PUP list to start training camp. With Chaisson underwhelming in Jacksonville, plenty could be on Clowney’s shoulders. The former No. 1 overall pick might have some help soon, as the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye reports Yannick Ngakoue‘s workout tour will stop through Charlotte. The Panthers are also preparing to audition Carl Lawson this week. Ngakoue’s workout will take place Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
Previously eyeing a deal before training camp, Ngakoue worked out for the Dolphins this week. Emmanuel Ogbah‘s familiarity won out, and the nomadic edge rusher remains in search of a deal. With Wonnum rehabbing a torn quad suffered in Week 16 — an injury that was expected to cost him camp time — and Chaisson producing a grand total of five sacks in four Jaguars seasons, the Panthers appear to remain in need of help. Clowney has reached notable peaks throughout his career, but the injury-prone pass rusher has been unable to sustain success since leaving Houston in 2019.
This would open the door for Ngakoue, who is still just 29 despite going into his ninth NFL season. The former third-round pick’s run of sack production stalled in Chicago last year, as his seven-year streak of eight-plus-sack seasons — a string no active NFLer matched from 2016-22 — halted after a four-sack slate last season. Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle last December, though he did start 13 Bears games prior to that injury. Ngakoue’s 10 sacks alongside Maxx Crosby in 2021 helped the Raiders to the playoffs, and he led the 2022 Colts with 9.5. Viewed as a liability against the run, Ngakoue has cycled through six teams over the course of his career — including five during the 2020s.
Lawson, 29, has not landed in offseason rumors the way Ngakoue has. The recent Jets contributor did visit the Dolphins in April, however, and has been productive in the not-so-distant past. He totaled seven sacks and 24 QB hits with the Jets in 2022, helping Robert Saleh‘s defense rebound after a woeful 2021. Lawson’s training camp injury contributed to New York’s last-place rankings that season, but he found himself out of the Jets’ D-line rotation last year after accepting an offseason pay cut. Lawson, whom the Jets tried to trade, did not record a sack in 2023.
It would make sense for the Panthers to add some help here. Their $6MM in cap space sits 29th in the league, and Ngakoue likely will not be available for the veteran minimum. Despite having agreed to a three-year, $45MM Jets deal in 2021, Lawson would stand to come cheaper.
I hope they’re auditioning them for a production of West Side Story because they suck at football.
Ouch. That did make me chuckle, but that was a stinger.
Will you say that if the Bears sign one of them? Because they could use some of these guys you currently pretend sucks at football.
If the Bears sign either of them I’ll say what I’ve been saying. It’s a waste of money.
Either of them would likely be the second best edge rusher on the Bears.
Shows you know nothing about the Bears at least.
Ok. Who do you think I’m missing here after Sweat? I like Booker fine, but he’s a project.
Demarcus Walker
Austin Booker
Dominique Robinson
Jake Martin
Khalid Kareem
As for who steps up we’ll during the games. I know those guys are probably going to be as good of options as two old retreads who are going to want an arm and a leg to end up on IR more than likely. I’ll take my chances Not to mention the Bears have at least 12 million available and there’s still a ton of other teams cuts coming.
Which one of those guys am I supposed to believe is going to get to the quarterback as often as Yannick Ngakoue?
Based on what I saw last year my sister would be a better choice and she weighs 90 lbs.
Well, last year was the least productive year and he still had more sacks and pressures than any of those guys.
Each of these guys is or was a starter or borderline starter in the recent past. Given that Clowney is looking to be a starting end, and that Wonnum is coming off an injury, it seems like Carolina is planning for what could essentially be a three man rotational up front, with Wonnum and Clowney likely to start and one of these guys possibly as a supersub sort of platoon piece for relief. Seems to me by these names that that’s the strategy, which means that the Panthers are at least a little concerned about the edge durability-otherwise, there would be lesser named DEs here.
Wonnum and Clowney are both S.C. alums , though Wonnum is still relatively young. Clowney probably is towards the back end of his career, but he’s still extremely athletic, despite his injuries (as evidenced in Baltimore-where, in my opinion, he probably had his best chance for success). It makes sense to have a sub who can play a lot of dnaps to preserve Clowney and give Wonnum relief if he still is coming back from injury.