The Carolina Panthers could use help in a few spots before the trade deadline, but the biggest obstacle might be simple math. According to Over The Cap, the reigning NFC South champs have just $533,061 in salary cap room, the second-lowest figure in the league.
Still, if Carolina finds a way to make a deal, ESPN’s Mike Kaye pointed to three possible fits.
On offense, Kaye named Las Vegas Raiders interior offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson as a player who could bring needed depth to a shaky trench. He also floated Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal as a change-of-pace complement to Chuba Hubbard.
The defensive name in Kaye’s group is New York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald IV, and there’s a Panthers connection there. Kaye wrote that the previous regime, which Morgan was part of, liked McDonald as a prospect in 2023. Before the Jets took him with the No. 15 overall pick, Panthers decision-makers had “heavily discussed” him as a possible trade-up target later in the draft, one source told ESPN.
McDonald has become an effective situational pass rusher in New York, but Kaye noted he has not done much beyond that. Even so, the Panthers could use the help. Their sack rate sits at 29th in the league at 4.56%.
That need is only sharper because of the injuries around the edge. Carolina lost Nic Scourton for the season on the first day of training camp with a torn ACL, and Jaelan Phillips appears set to miss his third straight game because of a nagging hamstring injury.
A new defensive coordinator might help spark more pressure from the group, but right now the Panthers are thin there. McDonald, at least on paper, could help fill that void.
In Other News...
Panthers May Finally Shake Up The Line In Front Of Bryce Young
Carolinas protection issues have become impossible to ignore, and Dave Canales said the team is weighing changes up front after a rough stretch for the offensive line. The Panthers have been forced to absorb more pressure than any team in the league at multiple spots along the line, a problem that has made life far more difficult for Bryce Young and the offense as a whole.
One possible answer is Brady Christensen, who was designated to return from a hamstring injury and has been a full participant in recent practices. The sixth-year veteran has not yet made his regular-season debut, but his return gives Carolina another option as it tries to stabilize a unit that has struggled to hold up and may be due for a shakeup soon. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Trade Deadline Debate Comes Down To One Tough Decision
The trade deadline has a way of forcing front offices to choose between urgency and patience, and for the Panthers, the conversation is already centered on where the biggest upgrade might come from. Cornerback and edge rusher remain the obvious areas to watch, which is why the names floating around the league have such different levels of appeal. Some potential targets fit the roster need cleanly, while others are tied up by cost, team control or simple trade logic that makes them far less realistic than they sound on paper.
Riq Woolen, Josh Downs, Damien Lewis, Josh Sweat and Vita Vea all surface for different reasons, but not every fit is created equal. Connections matter, positional value matters and so does the reality of whether another team would even consider moving a player the Panthers could use right now. For Carolina, the real challenge is sorting through the plausible options from the long shots, because the deadline usually rewards the team that knows when to push and when to walk away. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Head Into Denver Seriously Shorthanded On Both Sides
The Panthers are heading into Sundays trip to Denver with a thinner roster than theyd like, and the injury list cuts across both the front seven and the offensive line. Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, guard Damien Lewis, linebacker Bobby Okereke and cornerback Will Lee have all been ruled out for Week 9, leaving Carolina to patch together key spots against a Broncos team that will be looking to take advantage of the absences.
Phillips has already been dealing with a hamstring injury for the past three weeks, so his latest setback only adds to the uncertainty around a defense that has had to adjust on the fly. Okerekes status is notable for more than just the immediate game plan, given his background and contract history, and the Panthers now have to find answers without one of their more established pieces in the middle of the defense. [Read more 🡒]