With the 2026 NFL free agency period just around the corner, the Carolina Panthers will look to make some noise this offseason after an impressive 2025 campaign.

While there are many needs for the organization heading into next year, the defense could use a massive overhaul in order to find success in 2026. It’s clear that the Panthers could use extra help on their defensive line, but the linebacker position has slowly become an underrated position group that must be addressed by the front office.

When asked about some of the positions that the Panthers will look to bolster this offseason, general manager Dan Morgan told reporters at the Combine that the linebacker position will be one of the main groups to be addressed this offseason.

“I would say the No. 1 thing is, standing in front of that huddle, those 10 other guys are looking at you,” Morgan stated. “I think that guy has to be a really good leader, somebody that the guys are going to follow, somebody that the guys are going to respect. And then obviously from a playing standpoint, you have to be instinctual, you have to be smart, you have to be tough, you have to be physical. Those are the type of guys we want to bring in here, and he’s got to fit with our culture. He’s got to be our type of guy.”

Luckily for Morgan and the rest of the front office, the linebacker position is one of the deepest groups in the upcoming draft.

Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Georgia’s CJ Allen are the top two inside linebackers in this year’s class, with both projected to land in the first round. In addition to Styles and Allen, the 2026 class also includes multiple day two linebackers in Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr., Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, Missouri’s Josiah Trotter, and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.

With the Panthers holding the No. 51 and No. 83 pick in the 2026 Draft, there’s a good chance that the franchise could find their linebacker for the future on day two. Golday had an impressive showing at the combine, as he finished with a 4.62 40-yard dash and a 39-inch vertical while standing at an impressive 6-foot-4.5, 239 lbs.

In addition to potentially targeting a linebacker early in the 2026 NFL Draft, Morgan could also sign a veteran in free agency this offseason. This year’s free agency crop of linebackers includes multiple outstanding playmakers, such as Devin Bush and Nakobe Dean.

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