CHARLOTTE — As proud as the Panthers were of cornerback Jaycee Horn going to his second straight Pro Bowl, there was also a sense of dismay throughout the locker room that Derrick Brown didn't.

And that extended to Brown himself.

Brown said Tuesday he was "definitely shocked he didn't make it," but tried to pivot back to the team goals that are in front of them as they play games with playoff implications.

"I was disappointed," he said. "Being the competitor I am, I definitely want the opportunity to be able to represent my team in the Pro Bowl. It's one of those things, I guess my peers and coaches don't think I'm good enough to be in there, so I'll take that with a grain of salt and just keep working.

"Whichever way you look at it, not getting in, it's frustrating, but I mean, it is what it is. Still got a lot of ball to play here, so I mean, I'm looking forward to the opportunity for that."

The veteran defensive tackle, who went to the Pro Bowl in 2023 after setting a league record for tackles in a season by a defensive lineman, missed all but one game of last season with a knee injury. He was third in the fan voting league-wide, but after players and coaches submitted their thirds of the vote total, he was on the outside looking in.

The three NFC defensive tackles chosen were Philadelphia's Jalen Carter, Seattle's Leonard Williams, and Dallas trade acquisition Quinnen Williams.

The Williamses have comparable stat lines, as Leonard has the best numbers of the group, and Quinnen has fewer tackles, sacks, and passes defensed, but more tackles for losses and quarterback hits.

But Carter is the outlier here.

For one thing, he missed five games — one for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in the opener, which counted as time served for a one-game suspension, along with four games because of heel and shoulder injuries.

Carter also has 32 tackles and 2.0 sacks to Brown's 54 and 5.0.

Pro Bowl DTs compared to Derrick Brown

Because of the kind of impact Brown shows weekly, his teammates were in disbelief that Horn's going to be a solo act at the Pro Bowl.

Quarterback Bryce Young, who works to limit his visible reactions in press conferences, made a face when asked if he was surprised to not hear Brown's name called in the team meeting on Tuesday.

"Yeah, very, very," Young replied. "I think it's a shame. I think it's wrong. Nothing against, obviously, the guys who got in. I haven't seen the list. Nothing against them, but I mean, DB's been balling all year, a huge part of us as a team, our defense, he's a leader for us.

"I definitely feel like he deserves to be there, so yeah, it's a shame."

Safety Tre'von Moehrig just shook his head when asked, saying the frustration was mostly for Brown, but teammates were stunned that he didn't make it.

"It's definitely frustrating, but we see everything he does during the week and in the game," Moehrig said. "So, it was surprising to say the least, to say the least."

Likewise, head coach Dave Canales didn't weigh in on the choices themselves, but said he's seen plenty from Brown this year to make him worthy.

"What I saw from Derrick this year is dominant football play," Canales said. "A guy that stands for everything we believe in and a guy that's disruptive in every way, shape, and form. Coming up with sacks this year and certainly just against the run game and the way he's played, he definitely is recognized, regardless of what the accolades might be, by his teammates and by his peers, the people that he plays against."

With all that said, Brown was quick to turn back to the task at hand, which is Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

He's an intrinsically motivated person, but this has perhaps gotten his attention in a way that could be channeled.

"It's not going knock my confidence down any," Brown said. "They've still got to stop that on Sunday, so it is what it is."