The Carolina Panthers are counting down the days until the kickoff of their 2025 training camp.
With roughly two weeks left until the wait is over, The Observer is breaking down each position on the team’s 91-man depth chart. After taking a close look at the defensive line on Tuesday, we’re moving on to the middle of Ejiro Evero’s lineup.
The inside linebacker unit has its fair share of intrigue entering the heart of the summer. With Trevin Wallace and Josey Jewell returning to the fold, and Christian Rozeboom being added to the mix, the competition among the position group should be fun to track.
Will Wallace take a huge leap forward in Year 2?
Last summer, Wallace, a 2024 third-round pick, was stationed behind Jewell and Shaq Thompson on the inside linebacker depth chart. While he mostly worked with the second-string defense, Wallace was able to stick out early in camp because of his athleticism and aggressiveness.
After a quality rookie training camp performance, Wallace was set up as the third inside linebacker entering the season. He was mostly regulated to special teams work during the first month of the season. However, when Thompson went down with a season-ending injury in Week 4, Wallace’s defensive snaps were increased exponentially.
Wallace became a starter with Thompson sidelined, and the results were mixed. With a ragtag defensive line dealing with its own notable season-ending injury — 2023 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown — the trenches tended to be as leaky as a spaghetti strainer. Wallace and Jewell routinely dealt with the line being pushed into their laps, making it hard to be fluid against the run. Wallace also had his blips in coverage as well.
Wallace’s rookie season ultimately ended a tad early as he underwent shoulder surgery. The front office went out of its way to give the inside linebacker group a bit of a pass in regard to the team’s historically bad run defense. With notable talent issues on the defensive line and at safety, the inside linebackers were in the middle of a disadvantage sandwich of sorts.
This summer, the defensive outlook is quite different. Wallace is an entrenched starter opposite Jewell, and Rozeboom is here to push both during a competitive training camp. The defensive line has added Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown, Cam Jackson and a recovered Brown to the trenches. At safety, Tre’von Moehrig is expected to provide ample support in the secondary, and rookies Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen should help upgrade a young outside linebacker rotation.
Wallace will get the bulk of the inside linebacker reps to get down his chemistry with all the new pieces. He also should have to worry about the defensive line cratering on a rep-to-rep basis. Those two adjusted outlooks could lead to a breakout year for the athletic defender.
Panthers’ inside linebacker depth chart
The projected starters: Wallace and Jewell — While Wallace brings upside to the bunch, Jewell is the steady veteran who knows the scheme inside and out.
Neither player had a landmark campaign last season, but Jewell did fill the box score with some notable numbers, including 3.5 sacks, an interception and two fumble recoveries. Wallace contributed a pair of forced fumbles and a sack in just 13 games (eight starts).
Given their experience together, the duo should be able to find chemistry early in the summer and extend that comfort into the regular season.
The projected backup: Rozeboom — The former Los Angeles Rams linebacker signed a one-year deal with the Panthers’ in March. Like many of his peers on the Panthers’ defense, Rozeboom has a history with Evero from his previous stop.
Rozeboom is coming off a career year in LA, as he showed he is more than just a special teams ace. Despite only starting 11 games, Rozeboom produced 135 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception and a sack.
Look for Rozeboom to be used within specific defense packages. He will also be a regular face on special teams.
The competition: Claudin Cherelus, Jacoby Windmon, Jon Rhattigan, Bam Martin-Scott, Tuasivi Nomura — The Panthers didn’t draft an inside linebacker in April, and Rozeboom was their lone veteran addition to the depth chart in March.
So, Cherelus, Rhattigan and Windmon — the team’s three returning depth linebackers — shouldn’t be completely ignored within the inside linebacker ecosystem. Cherelus and Rhattigan, in particular, are notable special teams contributors who have worked with coordinator Tracy Smith and had varying degrees of success. Cherelus, before suffering a season-ending toe injury, also got to flash a bit on defense.
Martin-Scott and Nomura are a pair of upside assets. The two undrafted rookies should have strong opportunities to turn heads when pads get put on in July. Martin-Scott, a South Carolina grad, is the one to watch in a competition, as the Panthers’ scouting department showed up in droves to the Gamecocks’ pro day in March, and the linebacker was the only alum added this offseason.
Still, Martin-Scott and Nomura will have to put forth a super effort on special teams to push Rhattigan and/or Cherelus off the roster.