Carolina is overhauling its pass rush in 2024, and former Auburn linebacker Eku Leota showed he could fit in the Panthers’ plans in the NFL team’s preseason opener.

Preparing for his second NFL season, Leota earned a spot at outside linebacker on Pro Football Focus’s Team of the Week for the first week of the preseason with his performance in Carolina’s 17-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

Leota played in eight games in 2023, when he made his way from undrafted rookie to the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

“Just being in the system for a year, I’m able to communicate better and just play faster,” Leota said, “and just having the coaches being able to coach me up and just coming out here and fixing my mistakes as well, so that’s been a big positive throughout the year.”

Leota had 20 defensive snaps and 11 special-teams plays against the Patriots. He tackled running back Antonio Gibson for a 1-yard loss in the first quarter, registered a quarterback hit on an incompletion in the second quarter, made the tackle on the second-half kickoff and dropped running back Jamycal Hasty for a 4-yard loss in the third quarter.

“Eku, it just starts with strength,” Carolina coach Dave Canales said after the game. “He played so hard tonight and was playing physical. Again, I’ve got to look at the film to see what the whole story was, but the effort was there and the style of play was fantastic.”

Leota said playing hard should be a given.

“I’m just always playing hard,” Leota said, “but that shouldn’t be like a something to be – this is the NFL. You should. Effort should always be the No. 1. It should be the standard.

“But just trying to be consistent and improve every day is my goal. And just trying to stack days as well.”

Outside linebacker Brian Burns had eight sacks, inside linebacker Frankie Luvu had 5.5 sacks and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos had 4.5 sacks for the Panthers in 2023. Those were the top three totals for Carolina last season, and all the players are on other teams this season, leaving defensive lineman and former Auburn All-American Derrick Brown with top returning total at two.

Carolina added former No. 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, who has 52.5 sacks in 10 NFL seasons, and are counting on DJ Johnson to step up at outside linebacker after the third-round draft choice started three games as a rookie in 2023. The Panthers also signed former first-round draft choice K’Lavon Chaisson after he recorded five sacks in four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Johnson and Chaisson started the preseason opener at outside linebacker with Clowney sitting out. Johnson played 20 defensive snaps, and Chaisson played 15. Each made one tackle, with Chaisson also registering a quarterback hit.

“Just having better eyes is really what I’m trying to work on,” Leota said of his training-camp work. “Just looking at my keys and that will help me play faster.”

The Panthers will play the second of their three preseason games at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday, when the New York Jets visit Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.