Carolina Panthers moving on without Derrick Brown   

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The Carolina Panthers are scrambling to replace the productivity of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

After losing a Pro Bowl-caliber defender, Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales was left with the responsibility of checking through his options.

“You got guys like LaBryan Ray and Nick Thurman, who has been up (on the 53-man roster),” Canales said Wednesday. “We have [Jayden] Peevy, who’s on our team. We just added DeShawn Williams to the practice squad as well.”

Will any of them replace Derrick Brown, the injured defensive end who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday?

Canales isn’t expecting it. But coming off last week’s deflating, season-opening 47-10 loss to New Orleans, he needs help, especially with the Los Angeles Chargers coming to Bank of America Stadium for Sunday’s home opener.

Panthers must trip up Chargers’ ground game

Harbaugh is known for fielding tough run-oriented teams. Canales expects the Panthers’ defensive line will be challenged by a rushing offense that produced 176 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 1 win.

Running back J.K. Dobbins led the way, compiling 135 yards on 10 carries, including a 61-yard scamper.

Before focusing full-time on the Chargers, however, Ray attended to an early week priority. He felt compelled to “Check up on [Brown] and make sure he’s good first, because he’s a brother,” Ray said.

Brown, who was named to his first Pro Bowl last season, established a new standard for tackles by a defensive lineman (103). In April, he earned a four-year, $96 million contract extension. His follow-up season, however, lasted one game.

“Definitely a huge loss, right?” Canales said. “He’s one of our best players.”

So, who will replace Brown? With the defensive linemen working out Wednesday, it proved difficult for reporters to get a clear view as they went through drills.

Ray, who was listed as the primary backup on the Week 1 depth chart, provided no clues on a potential starter after Wednesday’s padded practice.

“I don’t know if I can necessarily speak on that,” he said.

To gain clarity, he was asked if he was preparing to start against the Chargers.

“I don’t even know if I can speak on that,” he responded. 

DeShawn Williams: ‘Blessing to be back’

A newcomer who returned to the Panthers as a replacement for Brown, Williams didn’t like initially facing his injured former teammate, but the Panthers needed help, and he needed a job.

“I told DB, I hate coming back under the circumstances, but, man, it’s just a blessing to be back,” said Williams, who appeared in 16 games (10 starts) with Carolina last season.

Williams, who registered 33 tackles, including one sack in 2023, was tight-lipped when asked about who will replace Brown.

“We just got the gameplan,” he said. “I couldn’t even tell you.”

Even if he did know and regardless of what the Week 2 depth chart showed, Williams knows Ejiro Everno well enough to expect the defensive coordinator to keep Harbaugh guessing.

“Knowing E, he’ll hide that,” Williams said.

The Panthers haven’t attempted to hide from an otherwise forgettable Week 1 defensive performance, yielding 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Saints scored on their first nine possessions and that was with Brown playing 60 of 66 snaps.

Without him, the Panthers will continue shopping.

“We’ve got some good guys who (have) played football, that has seen (NFL) games,” Canales said. “We’ll be able to evaluate those guys. We’ll have a plan.”

To Ray, there is just one mindset: “Next man up.”  

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