the Carolina Panthers was deepen significantly following their crushing 47 to1 defeat to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday as they learned that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derek Brown might be out for the season due to a severe knee injury according to a league Source who spoke with ESPN Brown is set to undergo surgery to address what appears to be a miniscus injury the exact moment Brown sustained the injury remains unclear despite playing 60 of the team's 66 defensive snaps and what was the worst opening day loss in franchise history and the fourth largest defeat overall his injury was only discovered afterward Brown had been coming off a standout 2023 season during which he recorded 103 tackles the highest number for an NFL defensive lineman that year earlier this year the Panthers had shown their commitment to Brown by awarding him a 4-year $96 million contract extension known as Carolina's most formidable defensive player Brown was expected to be a key figure in the team's defensive lineup although he has never exceeded three sacks in a season new head coach Dave Canales had set an ambitious Target for him this year aiming for 8 to 10 sacks a goal brown felt was within his reach of the NFL network was the first to report on Brown's unfortunate injury at just 26 years old brown had been a Cornerstone of the Panthers defense participating in 89.1% of their defensive snaps in 2023 this high percentage of snaps was particularly impressive given his size 6'5 320 lb and the demands of the three to four defensive scheme which typically involves a set rotation of players do I enlight of Brown's potential absence seconde player lrien Ray is among those who might step up to fill the void however it's likely that general manager Dan Morgan will need to seek additional reinforcements for a position that was already lacking depth Beyond his onfield contributions Brown's departure will be felt in the locker room coach Canales had praised Brown's work ethic noting that his dedication set a high standard for the entire team our best players happen to be our hardest workers Canales had said it doesn't leave a lot of space for the rest of the group to pick and choose what they're going to do they've got to go hard and work at it through individual drills and everything else