The Panthers might already be looking to cash in on a favorable spot after their 25-14 win over Philadelphia, and a few names are starting to surface as possible fits if the league’s struggling teams decide to sell.
Philadelphia’s slide took another hit Sunday, when Carolina handed the Eagles a fourth straight loss. The defeat dropped the 2-4 Eagles deeper into trouble, and it also came with a major development at quarterback: Jalen Hurts was shelved for the rest of the season as he works to recover from a scary blood clot diagnosis. If that pushes the Eagles out of the playoff picture, they could start shopping some pieces, and Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated sees tight end Dallas Goedert as one option that would make sense for Carolina.
Here’s how Verderame described Goedert:
Rumors have suggested the Eagles might move off Goedert as he’s aged and dealt with injuries, missing at least three games in four of the past five years. Yet, Goedert has held on, and now might be the time for Philadelphia to cut ties.
Goedert is 31 years old and hasn’t had 600 yards since the 2022 season. He won’t bring a premium, but Goedert is a useful player with a ton of postseason experience.
Still, the Panthers don’t exactly look desperate at tight end. Darren Waller, Mitchell Evans and Tommy Tremble have been enough to keep that room moving, and Tremble’s two-touchdown outburst against the Eagles only strengthened the case that Carolina has plenty there already. That’s why another pass-catcher on Verderame’s list stands out more.
Cornerback Riq Woolen is the more interesting fit for Carolina, especially with Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson dealing with long-term injuries. The Panthers could use a reliable starter on the back end, and Woolen’s size - 6-foot-4 - plus his Seattle ties make him easy to picture in Carolina’s defense.
Verderame also tied the Panthers to Los Angeles Chargers wideout Quentin Johnston, and that one carries a different kind of appeal. Johnston has been up and down since arriving in the league, but the production has been there enough to keep him on teams’ radar. Verderame wrote:
Johnston has been a roller-coaster ride throughout his four-year career. He’s notched more than 700 yards in two of his three full seasons, but he also has a well-chronicled drops problem and has never caught more than 60.7% of his targets. Still, at 6'2" and 208 pounds and slated for free agency after this year, he’s an enticing addition who has 16 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
For Carolina, Johnston’s downfield game is the part that jumps off the page. General manager Dan Morgan could see the value in pairing that kind of speed threat with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, especially with 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette still injured and still not very useful.
The trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET.
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