We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
In this series, we’ll be counting down until opening kickoff by running through the Panthers roster by jersey number. Today’s piece looks at the current and historical players to have ever donned No. 95 for the Carolina Panthers.
Current Player: Derrick Brown
Brown (6’5”, 320 lbs) has been the anchor in the middle of the Panthers defense since he was selected 7th overall by the team in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Auburn. After playing in almost every single game from 2020 to 2022, Brown really broke out in the 2023 season when he broke the NFL record for tackles by a defensive lineman in a single season with 103. Brown’s dominance earned him a four year $96 million contract extension with almost $60 million in guaranteed money.
Unfortunately for him and the Panthers, Brown tore his meniscus in game one of the 2024 season right after inking that massive deal. He finished the game despite the injury but underwent season ending surgery a few days later. The Panthers defensive line was never the same, allowing over 3,000 rushing yards over the course of the year. The addition of quality free agents along the line, as well as Brown’s return to the lineup, gives the Panthers hope that the defense will be much stronger this season.
Notable Previous Players to wear number 95: Dontari Poe, Charles Johnson, Dean Wells, Mark Thomas
From the annals of “Oh Yeah, I Forgot He Played Here,” Dontari Poe was the most recent player to don the 95 for the Panthers. By far the best player to wear it before Brown was Charles Johnson, who dominated as a pass rusher for the Panthers from 2007 to 2017. Johnson was a major part of the 2015 NFC Champion defense and retired second in team history in sacks and forced fumbles. Wells, who played for the team from 1999 to 2001, recently passed away in April after a two year fight with cancer. Mark Thomas was the first Panthers player to ever wear the number 95. He spent two seasons with the team then played another seven years in the league.