Derrick Brown: Everything you need to know

Brown recorded five total tackles (four solo) during Saturday's 34-31 wild-card loss to the Rams. After missing 16 games last season due to a knee injury, Brown returned as one of the NFL's top interior defensive linemen in 2025. He played all 17 regular-season games and recorded 73 total tackles, the second-most among interior defensive linemen, while facing double teams on 64.4 percent of his snaps. Additionally, the Auburn product tallied seven passes defensed, 5.0 sacks and one forced fumble while logging 808 defensive snaps during the regular season. Under contract through the 2028 season, Brown is expected to remain one of the NFL's top defenders in 2026.

Brown finished Saturday's 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers with 13 tackles (five solo). Not only were Brown's 13 stops a career high, they were also the most among defensive linemen in a single game this season, per Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer. The sixth-year pro will end the 2025 regular season with 73 tackles (33 solo), including a career-high 5.0 sacks, seven pass defenses and one forced fumble across 17 games. It was an impressive bounce-back season for Brown, who missed all but one regular-season game in 2024 after suffering a meniscus injury in his knee in September of 2024. The Panthers' loss Saturday means they are relying on a Falcons win over the Saints on Sunday to clinch the NFC South division title and the No. 4 seed in the conference playoffs.

Brown did not record a stat in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Falcons. Brown was on the injury report with a knee injury leading up to the NFC South matchup, and he went on to log a season-low 67 percent defensive snap rate. He also failed to record a tackle in a game for the first time since Week 11 of the 2020 campaign.