The Carolina Panthers’ general manager, Dan Morgan, signed the well-regarded edge rusher Jaelan Phillips this offseason to a $120 million, four-year contract. The front office is trying to address a problem the team has experienced in previous seasons with this most recent effort.
One of the reasons Carolina signed D. J. Wonnum in free agency that offseason was that they had the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2023 with 27. He appeared in 62 regular-season games for the Purple Gang after being selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The University of South Carolina graduate recorded two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 11 pass knockdowns, and a total of 23. 0 sacks.
Wonnum’s career in Carolina was initially delayed by injuries. After missing the first nine games of 2024, he came back to start in the team’s last eight games. He had 37 total tackles and four sacks, placing third on the team, behind only Jadeveon Clowney and A’Shawn Robinson, who each had only 5. 5 quarterback traps.
The veteran Jadeveon Clowney was missed by Dave Canales’s squad in 2025.
Naturally, Clowney was let go by Carolina during the previous offseason and ultimately found a home with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him after the team’s second game of the 2025 season. On a club that gave up the league’s most passing yards, allowed a league-high 511 points, and surrendered 59 offensive touchdowns, he was a bit of a bright spot.
Clowney started six games and played in a total of 13. He ended with 41 tackles and a team-high 8. 5 sacks. He retrieved two more, forced a fumble, and knocked down four passes. Interestingly, he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 edge player this past season, scoring the same grade (79. 2) as Khalil Mack of the Chargers and Nik Bonitto of the Broncos, and just behind Maxx Crosby of the Raiders (79. 7).
Was it a wise choice for the Panthers to re-sign D. J. Wonnum?
The crux of the matter is that perhaps the Panthers gave up on Clowney too quickly, and maybe they did the same with Wonnum, who is currently a member of the Detroit Lions on a one-year contract.
Last offseason, Morgan focused on youth. In free agency, he signed four-year pro Patrick Jones II (Vikings) before using consecutive draft picks in April to pick Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M), who shared the team lead with only five sacks, and the underwhelming Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). Maybe the novice pair may have learned a few tricks from the 12-year veteran?
Indeed, Wonnum only had three sacks this year after starting 15 of his 16 games and recording 42 tackles. He also had five tackles in the playoff defeat against the Rams, which he began. Naturally, Jones didn’t have much of an impact in four games this year.
In conclusion, it’s possible that you’ve left no stone unturned when you’ve accumulated the fewest sacks in the league (89) since 2023. Even though Wonnum clearly didn’t have the same effect this past season as he did in the second half of 2024, he might have served as a good insurance policy in case Jones doesn’t get back to his 2024 form, when he recorded a career-high seven sacks for the Vikings.
