1 free agent to fix the Panthers’ biggest flaw in the 2026 season

If it is The Carolina Panthers will take the next step, Bryce Young needs it join in the rhythm. But the team has other obvious needs, too losing their own free agents won’t help. However, here is one free agent the Panthers could sign that would correct their biggest flaw heading into the 2026 season.

The point of trouble for the Panthers, like other NFL teams, was the inability to affect the opposing quarterback. Head coach Dave Canales‘ The Panthers must find a way to quickly gain pressure and give the secondary a fighting chance.

So that’s an area the team needs to target. I the answer is no No. 1 overall free agent edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s a different dog chase.

The Panthers should sign rusher Jaelan Phillips

It depends on who you believe in the free agent rankings. Pro Football Focus lists Phillips as the No. 14 overall pick.

“Injuries have plagued Phillips’ career, but he looked closer to his prime after arriving in Philly before the trade deadline,” PFF wrote. “From Week 10 forward, he earned a 70.2 PFF rushing grade and racked up 44 total pressures.”

That’s the kind of production the Panthers would like to get. That’s also how NFL.com sees Phillips, ranking him No. 3 overall. The strong finish made a big difference in the wallet for Phillips.

“No NFL player made more money in 2025,” Rosenthal wrote. “After dealing with devastating injuries in back-to-back seasons, Phillips excelled in Miami and then helped transform the Eagles’ defense with his complete arsenal. His best should still be ahead of him.”

Of course, the Eagles would like to keep Phillips. They will basically trade a third round pick for a loanee if they don’t bring him back. But Eagles GM Howie Roseman said yes understood the riskaccording to Sports Illustrated.

“We also realized that this is the worst case scenario, which is that he will be a free agent,” the GM said. “If he leaves as a free agent, you wouldn’t have to sign somebody to get a pick next year. I understand that.

“And also, the hardest part about free agency is understanding who the player is because you don’t live with that person, and getting the opportunity to be with him. And seeing who he was, obviously, is even more addictive for us.”

The Panthers struggled with the pass rush last season

With just 30 sacks last season, the Panthers ranked 29th in the NFL. That’s a big reason why they allowed 66.3 percent completion.

Rookie Nick Skorton led the Panthers with just five sacks. Derrick Brown also had five. The team just didn’t have a dominant pass rusher.

Now, Phillips is not a dominant pass rusher in terms of sacks. In his five seasons, Phillips has just 28 total. Last year he had five between the Dolphins and Eagles.

However, he had a good passing grade from PFF. His 77.1 grade ranked 20th among 155 edge rushers. Also, Phillips had 57 total quarterback sacks, ranking 5th in the NFL. Furthermore, he struggled 73 total pressures to rank 9th.

All those numbers would be music to the ears of Panther fans. Skorton had just 34 pressures last season. Brown totaled 35. So Phillips had twice the pressure of the Panthers’ top two leaders.

Why should the Panthers pursue Jalan Phillips?

One of the reasons is salary. If the Panthers were to go hard and hard after Hendrickson, they would likely spend a huge percentage of their cap money.

Phillips has market value of 17.3 million dollars, according to Spotrac. He would be asking for a three-year, $52 million deal. It’s significantly cheaper than Hendrickson.

In addition, Phillips will turn 27 in May. That’s significantly younger than Hendrickson.

Now, Hendrickson will produce more sacks than Phillips over the course of the season, given that both are healthy. But the idea is not “just sacks”. It’s about quarterback pressure. And that’s where things even out in Phillips’ favor.

Hendrickson was limited to seven games in 2025. That’s why he only had 23 pressures and 14 hurries. However, if you spread those numbers over the entire season, you get 56 pressures and 34 hurries. Again, it makes Phillips look that much better.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni immediately knew what he had in Phillips after last year’s trade, NBC Sports reports.

“He loves football,” Siriani said. He likes to work. You can just see how he’s been running around in practice, his motor is constantly, constantly going, just pushing to get better. It was a really big impact he made tonight for his first game as an Eagle.