CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers fans were still sifting through the ashes of one of the worst losses in franchise history Monday morning when a second wave of bad news hit, like an aftershock following an earthquake.
Derrick Brown had torn the meniscus in his knee at some point during the Panthers’ 47-10 shellacking at New Orleans, a potential season-ending injury for one of only two Pro Bowlers on the team’s defense.
The 26-year-old Brown played 60 of the 66 defensive snaps against the Saints, and isn’t sure when the injury happened. But when Brown woke up Monday morning with his knee bothering him, the medical staff sent for an MRI, which confirmed their fears.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said Brown is getting a second opinion, and the team won’t have a timeline until then. But the expectation is Brown will require surgery, which would be a devastating hit to a franchise already reeling after one game.
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Miami Dolphins’ All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey missed three months last season after undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus in late July. A similar timeline for Brown might give him a chance to play in the final four games of the season. But given how the Panthers looked in their opener, there wouldn’t be much sense rushing Brown back for what could be meaningless games in December.
Brown, the seventh overall pick in 2020, might not see things that way. After all, he played through a torn meniscus Sunday and kept barreling into the Saints’ blockers even as the game got out of hand. New Orleans scored on its first nine possessions Sunday, and Brown was on the field as part of the extra point/field goal block team for eight of them.
“You look at this game and regardless of the time or the score — it’s PAT or it’s field goal — and Derrick is rushing with full effort the whole time,” Canales said. “It’s the spirit of what we want to be about with the finish. For a guy like that, to talk to him today, he’s like, ‘I want to get a second opinion.’ ”
Dave Canales says Derrick Brown wants to get a second opinion on his torn meniscus. pic.twitter.com/LVBiASXCzB
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 9, 2024
The timing stinks for the Panthers and for Brown, who was coming off a breakthrough 2023 season in which he finished with more tackles (103) than any defensive lineman in NFL history since the stat has been tracked. Playing like the one-man, backfield-wrecking crew he was at Auburn, Brown accounted for 12.4 percent of the team’s tackles last season.
The Panthers rewarded him with a four-year, $96 million contract extension in April. Some players might ease up a bit after getting their first contract. That wasn’t the case with Brown, according to a guy who faced him a lot during training camp this summer.
“Obviously, a big leader for us, a guy that puts the work in day in and day out,” left tackle Ikem Ekwonu said. “You’re not gonna be able to see (the fruits of) the work he put in this offseason. So that’s unfortunate. But we know he’s gonna be there for us.”
Brown looked unblockable at times last season when he would take on a block (or two) and envelop ball-carriers with his 6-5, 320-pound frame. But coaches thought he was ready to take a step as a pass rusher. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said last week he thought Brown could be an eight-to-10-sack player, which would be a sizable jump from his career high of three sacks in 2021.
The Panthers will go with a committee approach at Brown’s defensive end spot, with LaBryan Ray, Nick Thurman and Jayden Peevy expect to rotate. General manager Dan Morgan also could seek outside help. But it’s going to be tough to replace Brown’s production and ability to disrupt.
“Huge loss. He’s one of our best players. That’s big shoes to fill,” Canales said. “But at the same time, we get players in there, I want them to know and be encouraged: If you go in, you play with great technique and you just do your job, we don’t need you to make the special plays that Derrick makes. Just do your job, (and) you help the guys on either side of you.”
Besides what Brown can do physically, this is a team that needs all the leadership it can get during a “retooling” season that could try everyone’s patience — from ticket-holders to ownership to players. Brown qualifies: His teammates last week voted Brown one of four captains, alongside quarterback Bryce Young, linebacker Shaq Thompson and special teams ace Sam Franklin.
“He puts so much into it,” tight end Jordan Matthews said of Brown. “He’s one of our hardest workers. He earns every cent every day.”
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Matthews dealt with a meniscus issue in 2022 — collateral damage when he tore his ACL at the San Francisco 49ers training camp. He said there are a lot of variables with meniscus injuries that could impact Brown’s treatment path.
The 32-year-old Matthews entered the NFL in 2014, when Brown was a high school junior in Sugar Hill, Ga. Matthews has played with and against hundreds of players, some of whom command a different level of respect.
“There are certain names when they come across the ticker (with injuries) for your own team that just hit you in the gut a little bit. And I think even for other teams and they say, ‘Ooooh,’ ” Matthews said. “There are certain names, and Derrick Brown is one of those names.”
That was likely the same reaction Monday from a lot of Panthers fans, who could use something to take away the pain.
(Photo: John Byrum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
