Carolina Panthers 'excited' to add pass rusher Jared Allen

Jared Allen might not be the player he was 10 years ago, but the newest Carolina Panthers' pass rusher was brought in for one reason - get after the quarterback.

Allen leads all active players with 134 sacks and 16 forced fumbles since he was drafted in 2004.

The Panthers are thin at defensive end. Greg Hardy left in free agency and Charles Johnson was hurt last week and already was ruled out for Week 4 because of a hamstring injury.

"Jared Allen is a proven pass rusher in this league, and when you have a chance to add a quality player to your roster you must take advantage of the opportunity," said Panthers GM Dave Gettleman in a statement. "Jared fits us very well and we are excited to add him to our roster."

Allen passed a physical Tuesday to finalize a trade with the Chicago Bears.

In the first three games, the Panthers have seven sacks, led by Mario Addison (2.0), a situational pass rusher.

Allen had 5.5 sacks last season but hasn't taken down the quarterback in 2015, his first as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense with the Bears.

The deal to the Panthers puts him back at right defensive end, his natural position and the spot from which most of his quarterback sacks came from.