Panthers LB DJ Johnson ruled out for Sunday vs. Saints after car accident

The Carolina Panthers (4-12) have ruled out linebacker DJ Johnson for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons (8-8) after he was involved in a car accident earlier this week.

Johnson’s injuries are not life-threatening, head coach Dave Canales said Friday.

Panthers OLB DJ Johnson will not play Sunday due to a car accident. pic.twitter.com/GpRgmTJeru

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) January 3, 2025

“Kind of gathered information over the last night and morning,” Canales said, via David Newton of ESPN. “It was a car accident, so first and foremost, and that’s pretty much what I know about it. But enough to the point where he’s in evaluation right now and so, he won’t be playing.”

Johnson, 26, has appeared in 14 games (two starts) this season. He has tallied 44 tackles (19 solo), three tackles for loss, half a sack and one pass defended.

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Johnson is the second Panther to miss time this season after being involved in a car accident. Quarterback Andy Dalton and his family were involved in a car accident in Charlotte this past October. Dalton suffered a right thumb injury, which opened the door for Bryce Young to regain his starting job.

The Panthers have shown some signs of coming around offensively in the second half of the season, with Young starting to look like the player Carolina selected No. 1 overall last season. But defensively, issues remain. No team has surrendered more points than the Panthers this season (496), one year removed from having the league’s No. 4 ranked defense.

Canales still believes in his team’s 3-4 front coming off their worst defensive performance of the season in the 48-14 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7).

“I love this scheme,” Canales said Monday, via The News and Observer. “I know what it looks like when it’s done well. And that’s my hope is to continue to just build on that and to improve on the concepts. Look on the things that we did.”