What Panthers’ big trade with Bears means for current roster, free agency and draft
The Carolina Panthers found a gateway to solving their longstanding franchise quarterback problem and jumped right through it with a blockbuster trade on Friday with the Chicago Bears.
The Panthers traded wide receiver DJ Moore, the ninth and 61st overall picks in this year’s draft, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Bears for the first overall selection in April, according to a league source. The trade can’t become official until the new league year begins on March 15.
It was a massive haul for the Bears, and a huge opportunity for the Panthers, who haven’t had a franchise quarterback since former first overall pick and NFL MVP Cam Newton was unceremoniously released in 2020.
The trading of the four draft picks over the next three years will have a significant impact on the team’s roster-building during the early goings of the Frank Reich era, as will the departure of Moore, the team’s leading receiver for the past four years.
Below is a breakdown of how the trade impacts the current roster, the team’s outlook in free agency and its outlook in the draft:
What the trade means for the current roster
The Panthers have a bare-bones wide receiver depth chart. Trading Moore — Carolina’s top wideout for the past five years — stations the Panthers with a group that leaves a lot be desired. However, according to a league source, Moore was a must-have element in the trade-up opportunity with the Bears, who insisted that the wide receiver be included in the package.
While 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr. had a bit of a breakout campaign last season, he only managed 490 yards and a touchdown off 28 catches. The three other returning receivers under contract — Laviska Shenault, Shi Smith and Preston Williams — combined for 49 catches for 568 yards and three touchdowns last season.
The Panthers now have roughly $22.7 million in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. Carolina will need to bring in multiple veteran wide receivers to fill out the depth chart. However, with an influx of cap space from the deal, the team will also have the means to upgrade other positions, as well. Wide receiver has now become the biggest need for the squad, but they also need to cater to positions like tight end, cornerback, safety and linebacker on the open market. Also, with a transition to a 3-4 front, the Panthers need to upgrade their defensive line, which is lacking depth and starter-level talent around Derrick Brown.
The savings from the Moore aspect of the trade could influence how many internal free agents are retained. Along with impending unrestricted free agents like D’Onta Foreman, Bradley Bozeman and Eddy Piñeiro, the Panthers also have a big decision to make on contract-year linebacker Shaq Thompson.
What the trade means for free agency
The Panthers have an influx of cap space, and boy, did they need it. After trading Moore, cutting linebacker Damien Wilson and restructuring the deals of guard Austin Corbett, offensive tackle Taylor Moton and safety Xavier Woods, the Panthers are now well under the cap threshold and can get to work when the league year starts at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Carolina will clearly look for talent at wide receiver. Indianapolis Colts wideout Parris Campbell, who played for Reich for three and a half years, is a logical target to upgrade the slot position. Former Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins, who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, is rumored to be on the trade block, and he just spent the past two seasons learning from new wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson in the desert. The Panthers should have plenty of options to upgrade and stock the shelves at wideout.
Also, with the additional cap space, the Panthers can go after other positions of note and, more importantly, players of note. The Panthers are likely to look for a veteran quarterback to come in and potentially mentor the first overall selection.
What the trade means for the draft
The Panthers will go after a quarterback with the first overall pick. According to a league source, the Panthers feel good about multiple quarterback prospects in this class. The team now how has the next month and a half to evaluate the quarterbacks at pro days and individual workouts. Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis are considered the consensus top-four quarterbacks in the draft. One of those four is likely to be the Panthers’ long-term answer at quarterback this offseason.
The Panthers were able to keep the 39th and 93rd overall picks, so they’ll have two Day 2 selections to spend on quality prospects. The wide receiver, tight end and cornerback classes are expected be stacked on Day 2 of the draft.
However, with six picks, the Panthers might be smart to use one of those later picks to trade down and acquire more selections to fill out the roster. Right now, the Panthers have a host of needs, and they won’t be able to fill them all in free agency. It’s paramount that they parse out their roster-building between the open market and the draft-selection process for a good mix of youth and experience.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 6:56 PM.
