Tag: DJ Johnson

Chris Tabor on DJ Johnson: He’s getting better and he’s growing

Panthers ST coordinator Chris Tabor praised rookie OLB DJ Johnson for his physicality and growth on Thursday.

We haven’t seen much from Carolina Panthers outside linebacker DJ Johnson thus far. In fact, the most buzz that’s come out of the early portions of his rookie campaign may be from this video at Wednesday’s practice . . .

So, uh, yeah . . . we’re not off to a hot start.

But on Thursday, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor spoke a bit about Johnson’s contributions on his unit.

“Last few weeks, he’s played well,” Tabor said. “He’s playing physical. And the thing I really like about DJ—I think we’re tryin’ to play him in spots that kinda translates into his outside-linebacking world. And he’s accepted that and has really taken a lot of pride in that. So hopefully, he just kinda keeps gettin’ better each week.”

In what was perceived as a questionable decision at the time, the Panthers traded up into the third round of the 2023 NFL draft to select the (very raw) University of Oregon product with the 80th overall pick. That decision has, perhaps, become even more questionable—especially considering he’s only played in 36 total snaps through five weeks.

After not getting into the season opener in Atlanta, Johnson would be a healthy scratch over the next two outings. He’s since recorded 17 looks on defense and 19 on special teams between Weeks 4 and 5, and Tabor took notice this past Sunday.

“Well, he showed a lot of physicality playin’ last week in Detroit,” Tabor added. “I know I talked a lot about Detroit’s core, and they were very physical, really good. But he did really well on kick return. Just playin’ physical, gettin’ in the doubles and just finishin’ blocks. That’s where I was really pleased.

“I said it on the headset. I said our little young player, there’s a look in his eye today that he’s getting better and he’s growing. So I was very excited to see that and hopefully we can build on that this week.”

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Ejiro Evero explains inactivity of 3rd-round pick DJ Johnson

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero explained why 2023 third-round pick DJ Johnson has yet to take a snap in the regular season.

The Carolina Panthers made a bit of a head-scratching move in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft—trading up to nab University of Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson, a relative unknown, with the 80th overall pick. And now, exactly five months later, our heads remain itchy just thinking about it.

Johnson, through three weeks, has yet to play a snap for Carolina. He did not hit the field in their season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons and was not dressed for either of their outings against the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was asked about the healthy scratches on Thursday morning.

“Well, ya know, we’ve been really blessed,” he replied. “We have a lot of good players at that position. Justin [Houston], Brian [Burns], Yetur’s [Gross-Matos] been playin’ really well, [Amaré] Barno.

“He’s doin’ a great job, I would say that. We like where he is, we like his progress that he’s makin’ and it’s just a matter of him findin’ those opportunities. But there’s always those fluctuations and it’s week by week and we’ll see what happens.”

Perhaps ironically enough, the Panthers were notably thin at the position all offseason—even to the point where Evero stated that they needed players to “step up” off the edge. They’ve also been without Marquis Haynes Sr., who was likely to serve as the first backup to Burns and Houston.

As for who’s been getting those opportunities, Evero was also asked about the early progress of Gross-Matos.

“Yeah, he’s done a great job,” he said. “He’s on the edge, he’s an outside backer, he’s gonna play defensive end for us in our nickel package. And he can rush, he can set the edge, he can play the run game—he’s done all those things really well.

“And when you look at those known passing situations when you’re just tryin’ to get your best rusher—regardless of position—his ability to move inside, show that flexibility, to rush on guards, to rush on centers, to work all those pass games inside. And he’s done a great job of learnin’ it and showin’ that flexibility and it’s been really good for our team.”

Despite being listed as an outside linebacker, Gross-Matos has seen some work from the inside. The 2020 second-rounder, who is on the last year of his rookie deal, has recorded 1.5 sacks through three outings.

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Top takeaways from Panthers’ snap counts in Week 1 loss to Falcons

We may have gotten a few early answers as to how the Panthers will run their show in 2023.

With an almost entirely new coach staff, the Carolina Panthers raised quite a few questions as to how they’d line up here in 2023. And on Sunday, in the team’s season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons, we got our first real answers.

Here are the top takeaways from the Week 1 snap counts:

Biggest storylines in Panthers’ preseason opener vs. Jets

Bryce Young won’t be the only Panthers QB worth keeping an eye on Saturday.

In case you weren’t aware, we finally have ourselves some Carolina Panthers football on Saturday.

Here are the top storylines to keep note of during the preseason opener against the New York Jets:

4 position battles to watch in Panthers’ preseason opener vs. Jets

Are Terrace Marshall Jr. and Jonathan Mingo in a battle for the Panthers’ X receiver role? If they are, it could intensify during Saturday’s preseason opener.

On Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers will kick off their preseason by locking up with their joint practice partners in the New York Jets. But there will be battles within that battle, as there always is during the summer.

So, let’s take a look at four of the most intriguing of them . . .

‘Madden NFL 24’ ratings for Panthers edge rushers revealed

Brian Burns’ “Madden NFL 24” rating seems, well, a tad low . . .

On Tuesday, EA Sports rolled out the “Madden NFL 24” ratings for the league’s edge rushers. And for a two-time Pro Bowl starter, Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Brian Burns seemed a bit underrated.

Check out the marks for Burns and the rest of the group here:

3 positions the Panthers should address before training camp

The Panthers still may have some work to do before reconvening for training camp later this summer.

The Carolina Panthers have been remarkably active this offseason. Yet, their work on the roster seems far from done.

Here are the three positions the teams should address before entering training camp later this month.

Fans react to 3rd episode of ‘Panthers Blueprint’

Panthers fans were even more hyped after Tuesday’s inside look at how the 2023 NFL draft came together.

From the decision on the 39th overall pick to the trade call made by Nicole Tepper, the third and final episode of “Panthers Blueprint” offered plenty of inside gems. And fans, for the third and final time, were amazed by the behind-the-scenes look into their team’s offseason.

Here are some of the best reactions to Tuesday’s release:

Nicole Tepper made call to seal Panthers’ trade for DJ Johnson

The third episode of “Panthers Blueprint” revealed Nicole Tepper made the trade call that helped secure third-round pick DJ Johnson.

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Now famously known to be “in on every deal,” Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer never shies away from making a move. And while he generally prefers to move back when it comes to swapping draft capital, he made an exception for not one, but two players this spring.

The first of which, of course, was quarterback Bryce Young. Carolina offered four premium picks and standout receiver DJ Moore to blitz atop the board back on March 10.

The second came during the draft itself with their third-round pick in outside linebacker DJ Johnson—who Fitterer talks about in the third and final episode of “Panthers Blueprint.”

“I love movin’ back because you acquire picks,” Fitterer said. “But sometimes when you get a player who fills a need, that fits the athletic profile and does exactly what you want—that’s when it’s worth it. That’s when you go up and take a shot.”

So, they did—shipping off the 93rd and 132nd picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 80th to secure the University of Oregon pass rusher. Oh, and perhaps appropriately enough, it was Nicole Tepper who made the call to the Steel City in getting the deal done.

Chief Administrative Officer of Tepper Sports and Entertainment and wife of owner David Tepper, Nicole has played an integral part behind the scenes in recent years. From establishing a healthy culture within the organization to attending pro days, Tepper’s been a highly-acclaimed member of the Carolina braintrust.

And now, she can add “wheelin’ and dealin'” to the job list.

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NFC South roundtable: 2023 draft grades for each team

Now that the dust from the annual calling of names has settled, our managing editors have handed out 2023 draft grades for each NFC South squad.

Did the NFC South squads ace their respective 2023 drafts?

We asked our managing editors—River Wells of Bucs Wire, Matt Urben of Falcons Wire and John Sigler of Saints Wire—to help hand out grades for their teams.