Kwon Alexander and 2 other NFL free agent linebackers the Panthers could consider

A shaky Carolina Panthers defense may have finally reached its breaking point. After already losing team captain and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown for the season, Carolina announced that both inside linebackers Josey Jewell (groin, hamstring) and Shaq Thompson (Achilles) are expected to running out of time. Jewell projects to return in 2024, but Thompson’s torn Achilles is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the season, the veteran linebacker’s second straight season-ending injury.

Carolina needs help at the second level of its defense. Rookie training camp star Trevin Wallace and second-year pro Claudin Cherelus project to take the majority of snaps moving forward, but as it stands, Jon Rhattigan is the only other outside linebacker Panthers roster ball.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel for contributors at this point in the NFL schedule isn’t wise, but Carolina has no choice. Here are some options Carolina can look at on the open market to fill the void created by injuries to its starting linebacker duo.

Alexander is a powerful linebacker with a rich history of success in the NFL. He led the league in solo tackles as a second-year player in 2016, and he followed that league-leading campaign with his only Pro Bowl appearance in 2017. The veteran linebacker got his first break in the NFL with Carolina’s divisional rival Tampa Bay. Buccaneers, but he has also spent time with San Francisco, New Orleans, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh, and he currently resides in Denver as a member of the Broncos practice squad.

Leonard, a South Carolina native, was one of the league’s best inside linebackers early in his NFL career. He was named to four straight All Pro teams from 2018-21 as an Indianapolis Colt, setting the standard for linebacker play in the late 2010s with consistent tackling and sticky pass coverage. A back injury robbed him of his effectiveness late in his career, but Carolina could be the perfect place to recapture his past glory. Leonard left Indianapolis due to a playing time dispute, an issue he is unlikely to face in Carolina due to their current situation at linebacker.

Phillips’ best football may very well still be ahead of him. The veteran linebacker was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but a series of fluke injuries kept him sidelined for most of his NFL career. A biceps injury and pectoral injury kept him from a starting job in Cleveland, and he has yet to receive consistent snaps since leaving The Land.

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