Cat Scratch Reader
We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
Hello CSR! We’re diving right back into our traditional countdown to the Panthers first game of the NFL season. For today’s countdown, we take a deeper look at number 98; EDGE DJ Wonnum!
Wonnum entered the NFL as a 4th round pick during the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of The University of South Carolina. The former Gamecock played 62 games for The Vikings with 31 starts, logging 23 sacks, 171 tackles, 49 QB hits, and 11 pass deflections in that span (per Pro Football Reference). He was a major contributor on that defense, and in both of his seasons with 14 starts he logged 8 sacks each. He suffered a season ending quadriceps injury in late December of 2023, ending his contract year with the Vikings on a sour note.
Then, he came to Carolina in the 2024 Offseason on a 2 year, $12.5 million deal. Unfortunately, Wonnum missed the first half of the season due to some major complications as a result of the surgeries to repair said injury, including a MRSA infection and blood clots that put him through a very scary part of his life. He was able to get back from it, starting 8 games and logging 4 sacks, 37 tackles and 6 QB hits as the Panthers eased him back into the full rotation.
For Carolina, with the release of Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Wonnum is an important veteran edge piece in 2025. His contract gets a bit more expensive as his cap hit jumps from almost $4 million from 2024 to almost $8 million in 2025 (with some void years attached, all per Spotrac), but now that Clowney is off the books, that becomes a lot easier to stomach from a cap perspective. Wonnum should fill the primary edge rusher role as a starter early on while the Panthers figure out how to use the tandem of Patrick Jones and rookies Nic Scourton/Princely Umanmielen, along with their other depth pieces to fill out the edges. A fully healthy Wonnum could be primed for a major bounce back season with the reinforcements Carolina has brought along the edges and on the interior for the defensive line.
Are you excited to see what DJ Wonnum brings to the table in 2025, Panthers fans?
