The Carolina Panthers haven’t participated the NFL playoffs since 2017. The seven year playoff drought for Carolina is only shorter than two other franchises. The New York Jets and the Denver Broncos. The Panthers’ franchise and its fans are yearning for playoff success. The front office and the coaching staff are congruent and building in the right direction for the first time in a couple of seasons. However, those in charge, are tempering playoff expectations.

In his pre-training camp media availability Dan Morgan stressed the franchise’s long-term timeline. “I’m not going to put any expectations on anything right now, What I do know is that there’s a lot of work ahead of us, not only from a personnel standpoint, but the players know that they’ve got to put the work in out there.” For Morgan, who is just scratching the surface of his career in the front office, patience is easier to come by. He can serve in this role for Carolina or in a similar one with another franchise for a long time. Bringing success to the Carolina’s keeps Morgan up at night, but he has a longer runway than those who strap on the pads every day. For players like Derrick Brown, the clock is ticking. And he’s ready to turn the page on a disappointing 2023 for his team.

“We got a fresh opportunity to go out and do something special (this season). You’ve got to come in and go to work every single day with that hanging over your head, and it is what it is, but you’ve got to go out and do your job…Everything that happened last year is washed.”

Derrick Brown speaks to the media. https://t.co/nJDFX2cNYh

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 27, 2024

Brown has never played in the NFL playoffs. He was drafted squarely in the middle of the franchise’s playoff drought, and frankly, he has never even seen a modicum of team success at the NFL level. However, he does know a thing about greatness.

A massive draw of today’s Back Together Saturday practice in Carolina was the reunion of Panthers’ legends from decades past. Thomas Davis, Jake Delhomme, Tre Boston, Jonathan Stewart, and dozens of other Carolina luminaries could be seen stalking the sidelines before, during, and after the practice period ended. The Carolina Panthers have a rich history full of elite defensive players, and Brown was asked about the impact past Panthers have had on his career.

“I mean, those guys have been here, done that. We’re still in pursuit of trying to get there. For the guys that took over this game…I mean, having those conversations with them and trying to figure out what it was like when they were here? I mean, that’s a big part of trying to set a culture.”

A quick peek into the rear view mirror has Brown dreaming of what can be in Carolina moving forward. Past Carolina greats know what it takes to earn a wild card berth, win a division title, and play on the league’s biggest stage. Brown, a fifth year veteran, puts his helmet on daily trying to emulate that success.

When asked about the locker room’s playoff expectations Brown stated; “That’s the goal. I’m not going to sit here and say not. You don’t come to work every single day to go 5-10, 5-12, and go home. Our goal is to come in here and go to work every day to contend not only for the NFC South but to be able to make a playoff run. That’s the goal for us.”

It’s not now or never for veteran players like Derrick Brown, but every week he plays the hands on the timepiece of his career get closer to striking midnight. Outsiders don’t believe the Panthers’ have even an iota of a chance at making the playoffs, but Derrick Brown and the other 89 players rocking the process blue in training camp do. And sometimes, that’s all it takes.