The Carolina Panthers are in the market for help on defense, and with the trade deadline approaching, cornerback Kelee Ringo has emerged as a name to watch.
Carolina is 2-2 during its bye week, and the offense has done the heavy lifting so far. Bryce Young has looked as comfortable as ever, and the Panthers’ passing game currently leads the NFL. The other side of the ball hasn’t held up its end of the bargain, though, even after the team spent heavily on defense over the offseason.
That leaves the front office with a decision to make. Carolina may not need a sweeping overhaul, but it could still look for ways to tighten things up around the edges and give the unit a boost for the stretch run. That’s why the Panthers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Ringo of the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL analyst Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports included Ringo as a potential fit for Carolina, and the reasoning is easy to see. Since Philadelphia drafted him, Ringo has started only eight games, with the Eagles leaning on him more as a special teams piece.
For the Panthers, that kind of player could bring needed depth to the secondary. For Ringo, it would be a chance to reset in a new environment and maybe find a larger role than he’s had in Philadelphia.
Ringo won two championships in college with the Georgia Bulldogs, and he could bring some extra toughness to Carolina’s defense. In 55 career NFL games, he has recorded 77 total tackles, one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, and five pass deflections.
At worst, it’s the kind of low-risk swing Carolina can consider as it looks for ways to improve. If the Panthers decide to take a chance, Ringo could be one more piece to help this group down the stretch.
In Other News...
Tetairoa McMillan Revealed When Carolina's Breakout Against Detroit Felt Real
Tetairoa McMillans Week 4 explosion against Detroit gave Carolina exactly the kind of offensive jolt it has been waiting for, and it came at a time when the Panthers were trying to prove their early-season progress is real. The rookie receiver has already started to look like more than a promising young target, and his production is now tracking well beyond what he managed in his first season, with Bryce Young also giving the offense steadier play as Carolina sits at 2-2.
McMillan said the Lions game started to feel different almost immediately, and the numbers backed it up in a big way. He piled up 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns, a day that put him in rare franchise company and raised the question of whether Carolina has finally found a true centerpiece in the passing game. The broader significance is obvious enough, but the part that makes the performance stand out is how quickly it seemed the Panthers themselves understood they were watching something more than a routine breakout. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Have Found A New Offensive Weapon Fans Didn't Expect
The Panthers offense has looked far more dangerous early this season, with Carolina climbing near the top of the league in total yards per game and pacing the NFL in passing. Bryce Young has settled in as the trigger man, throwing for 1,268 yards and nine touchdowns while keeping turnovers to a minimum, and the distribution of the ball has given the unit a much different feel than it had a year ago.
Tetairoa McMillan has been a major part of that surge, but the quietly important development has been the way the tight end group has re-entered the offense as a real weapon. Darren Waller has helped revive a part of the playbook that had been too easy to overlook, giving Young another dependable option in the middle of the field and adding a layer of balance that could matter as Carolina tries to keep this start moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fans Have One More Reason To Revisit Andy Dalton Trade
Andy Daltons brief stay in Philadelphia appears to be ending before it ever really had a chance to matter. The veteran quarterback was brought in earlier this offseason as depth behind Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles are moving on and will continue with Tanner McKee and Cole Payton as the backups. For Panthers fans, it is another small reminder of the quarterback carousel that followed Dalton out of Carolina and into a new situation.
The move also adds another layer to a trade that already looked light on return. Dalton was sent from Carolina to Philadelphia this offseason for a 2027 seventh-round pick, and his path in the new city never found much traction after he lost the backup role in Week 2. What comes next for Dalton is now unsettled, but the Panthers at least have a little more reason to revisit how that deal unfolded. [Read more 🡒]