The Carolina Panthers are signing defensive tackle Derrick Brown Jr. to a four-year, $96 million contract extension with $63.165 million guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday on X.

Brown was one of the few bright spots on a 2-15 Panthers team this past season, setting an NFL record for tackles by a defensive lineman en route to his first Pro Bowl. His performance, combined with the poor handling of former Panthers linebacker Brian Burns situation, made this extension something new general manager Dan Morgan had to get done.

“[Brown’s] had a heck of a year,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero told Panthers reporter Darin Gantt.

Carolina has made savvy moves in free agency, headlined by the additions of guard Robert Hunt and linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum. Because the Panthers don’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, it was imperative for the team to add talent via the free-agent market.

The Panthers haven’t made the NFL playoffs or had a winning season since 2017, losing at least nine games each season since. These moves won’t make Carolina anyone’s Super Bowl sleeper pick, but they will help them compete in a relatively weak NFC South, won last season by the 9-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That’s not a very high bar, but after so many lean seasons in the five-year tenure of owner David Tepper, it’s a welcome sign of  progress for downtrodden Panthers fans.