CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A potentially dreadful season just got bleaker for the Carolina Panthers with the loss of defensive lineman Derrick Brown to a knee injury.
Derrick Brown suffered a meniscus injury during the Panthers' 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
A league source told WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni the injury will require surgery. The Panthers confirmed on Tuesday that Brown was placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the 2024 season.
"Definitely a huge loss, right? He's one of our best players. That's big shoes to fill," Canales said. "But at the same time, we've got players in there, I want them to know and be encouraged.
Brown set an NFL record for tackles in a season by a defensive lineman in the 2023 season with 103. He was a bright spot for a team that has tied with the New York Jets for the worst record in the NFL (31-68) since 2018 when owner David Tepper purchased the team. Since then, the team has only averaged 19.7 points per game.
But the 2024 season had some optimism, with a new general manager in Dan Morgan, a former linebacker for the team and first-year coach Dave Canales taking over. Canales' is the seventh Panthers head coach (including interims) since Tepper took over the team six years ago. Canales has never been a head coach at the collegiate or professional level.
The injury comes after Carolina gave the No. 7 overall pick in 2020 a four-year, $96 million extension earlier this offseason. Brown was selected one of the team’s defensive captains last week.
Brown played 60 of the team’s 66 snaps on defense and it is unclear when he was injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.