Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
The Carolina Panthers have a pretty storied history of pass rushers. One of the most understated but effective nonetheless was Charles Johnson, who was a cornerstone of the defensive line in the 2010s.
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The Panthers were able to nab Johnson in the middle of the third round, which was seen by many as a steal at the time. He had to wait his turn though. He joined a loaded defensive line in Carolina that heavily relied on Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker at defensive end, which left little room for Johnson to make an impact. Rucker retired after the season, but the Panthers attempted to replace him in free agency with Tyler Brayton. Johnson was able to see more time in the field behind a less decorated starter, and he started to make his presence felt. He totaled ten sacks in those two years in a rotational role. He finally earned the opportunity to start after Julius Peppers departed in free agency.
Johnson was never going to be Julius Peppers, but he did ease the sting a little bit from Peppers’ departure. He notched 11.5 sacks in his first season as a starter and followed that with totals of 9, 12.5, 11, and 8.5 in the next four seasons. There wasn’t a lot of flash to his game. He was a pure bull rusher, but he was able to rely on his strength to disrupt the pocket and finish plays. His rush style also kept him well positioned to defend the run, making him an ideal every down lineman.
In 2015, Johnson missed nearly half the season with a severe hamstring injury. He saw his production take a major hit, even after his return, though he was able to register a sack in each of the Panthers’ three playoff games that season. He was released after that season for cap purposes but re-signed a few days later. He would spend the next two seasons in Carolina in a more limited role before retiring after the 2017 season.
Johnson was not a flashy player in any way. He was a quiet mannered person and didn’t have a lot of pizzaz to his game, but that was never a detriment to his effectiveness. He was extraordinarily consistent both as a pass rusher and a run stopper and rarely missed a game. He played his entire career in Carolina and tallied 67.5 sacks during his time. That’s second most in Panthers history. For that, he lands at number 21 on the list of top 100 Carolina Panthers of all time.
