The Carolina Panthers didn’t have a single player land on either of the Associated Press’ 2023 All-Pro teams. But they did have a handful who garnered a bit of recognition.
This year’s results showed that four Panthers received at least one vote from the panel of 50 national media members. The players who got some love include defensive tackle Derrick Brown, running back Raheem Blackshear, wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and long snapper JJ Jansen.
Despite setting a new single-season record for most tackles by a defensive lineman (103), Brown finished sixth amongst all interior defenders—a group led by Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald and Kansas City’s Chris Jones. The fourth-year wrecking ball, who also led his peers in stops (53) and run stop win rate (47 percent), received one first-place vote.
Blackshear and Smith-Marsette were considered for their production on special teams. Blackshear, who got two second-place votes as a kick returner, averaged 26.9 yards per attempt. Smith-Marsette, the owner of two first-place votes as a punt returner, fielded a league-high 37 tries with one touchdown.
