Top 5 Carolina Panthers linebackers of all time
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BVM) — In their 27 years of playing NFL games, the Carolina Panthers have had a lot of talented players. Perhaps one of the best positions in the team’s history has been the linebacker position. With the induction of Sam Mills into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022, it’s a good time for a retrospective on the position. Here are the top five Panthers linebackers of all time.
5. Dan Morgan, 2001-2007
When Morgan was healthy, he showed glimpses of the talent that made him a dominant linebacker at the University of Miami. However, injuries plagued him every season of his career, keeping him from ever playing an entire 16-game season. In his seven seasons in the NFL, he played 59 games out of 112. He played less than 10 games three times in his career and never more than 13 games in a regular season.
But Morgan’s impact was felt in the playoffs, especially in Carolina’s run to Super Bowl XXXVIII during the 2003 season. Morgan appeared in four games and collected 45 total tackles, one for a loss, three passes defended, and one interception. He also set the record for most tackles in the Super Bowl with 18 versus the New England Patriots.
Morgan finished his career with 390 combined tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, five interceptions, seven sacks, three forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries in the regular season. In seven games in the playoffs, he had 59 combined tackles, two tackles for a loss, one interception, and three passes defended.
While Panthers fans may be left wishing for what could have been, Morgan was still a fantastic linebacker when he was on the field.
4. Jon Beason, 2007-13
Beason only played for the Panthers for parts of seven years, but his first four seasons with the team were an incredible run. He had three Pro Bowl berths, finished second in the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, and was named to the AP All-Pro First Team in 2008 and Second Team in 2009.
During that stretch, Beason accumulated 540 combined tackles (31 for a loss), eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and four sacks.
It all came tumbling down during the first game of the 2011 season when Beason tore his Achilles tendon. He never played a full season after that injury before being traded to the New York Giants early in the 2013 season.
Regardless, Beason was every bit the dominant linebacker for his first four years in the league. That stretch alone makes him one of the best linebackers to suit up for Carolina.
3. Sam Mills, 1995-97
While Mills spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career playing for the rival New Orleans Saints, he spent his final three years in Carolina for the expansion Panthers. Those three seasons left an unmistakable mark on the young franchise. He earned a Pro Bowl berth in 1996 to go with an Associated Press All-Pro First Team nod. He finished in the AP Defensive Player of the Year top five in both 1995 and 1996.
In all, Mills accumulated 331 combined tackles, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown), and 10 sacks. Mills set the standard for all Carolina linebackers to come, and the signature “Keep Pounding” that echoes around Bank of America Stadium came from his fight against cancer that took his life in 2005.
Despite Mills’ short stop in Carolina, his three years and subsequent impact make him one of the team’s best linebackers.
2. Thomas Davis, 2005-18
Perhaps the craziest statistic of Davis’ career is that he retired nine years after his third ACL surgery. Davis had seven 100-plus combined tackles seasons in his 15-year NFL career, and six of them came after 2011, the year of his third and final ACL reconstruction. He’s the first professional athlete per ESPN to have returned from three ACL injuries to the same knee.
Prior to Davis’ first knee injury, he had 392 combined tackles (36 for a loss,) three interceptions, 22 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 11 sacks. When he returned for the 2012 season, he immediately posted his second-best tackles total to that point in his career with 105 combined tackles (nine for a loss.) He also recorded an interception, three passes defended, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Somehow, Davis’ best seasons were still ahead of him. There was a career-high in tackles in 2013 with 123 combined, 13 for a loss.
Then there was 2015 which saw him get sent to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career and the first of three straight seasons. He also was voted to the AP All-Pro First Team. He posted a career-high 5.5 sacks and four interceptions. He tied his career high in passes defended with seven (set in 2013).
Davis finished his Panthers career having appeared in 176 games and accumulated 1,098 combined tackles (87 for a loss), 13 interceptions, 52 passes defended, 18 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown), and 28 sacks.
1 Luke Kuechly, 2012-19
All Panthers fans would have loved to see Kuechly continue to play when he retired after the 2019 season. However, all fans are thankful for his time and effort. He is the most decorated linebacker in franchise history in terms of awards won during their career. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, five-time All-Pro First Team and two-time All-Pro Second Team, and went to seven straight Pro Bowls.
Kuechly finished his career with 1,092 combined tackles (75 for a loss,) 18 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 66 passes defended, seven forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown), and 12.5 sacks.
The Panthers have had their fair share (if not more than their fair share) of great linebackers during their relatively young existence. None of them are greater than Kuechly. Despite him walking away from the game at an early age, his resume is Hall of Fame-worthy.
