With the NFL trade deadline coming up, the Carolina Panthers' front office should be looking to make aggressive moves to upgrade their roster. They currently have a 1.5-game lead atop the NFC South, and could wrap up a second-straight division title relatively early.
Major roster needs include the depth at wide receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, as well as cornerback—where Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve.
As of now, corner is the bigger problem—and Daniel Popper at The Athletic sees the Panthers as a buyers for that position. However, as he points out, Carolina has less than $1 million in salary cap room—which means they're probably going to have to create some space if they want to add a difference-maker.
Popper
notes:
The Panthers are banged up at cornerback, but they are tight up against the cap. They need to clear some space to make a move.
With just $919,850 in cap room remaining, their current options are pretty limited. One intriguing idea is to call the Philadelphia Eagles about Riq Woolen, who would cost just $840,000 for the rest of the year. That seems like a long shot, though.
Realistically, general manager Dan Morgan is going to have to cut some dead weight to create the necessary cap room. Most of that may be along the offensive line—where Carolina is paying more than any other team, by a wide margin, but are getting terrible results.
Possible cut options there might include left tackle Rasheed Walker, who has not performed well and could be replaced by first-round Monroe Freeling—or a returning Ikem Ekwonu. Starting center Luke Fortner is another option, as the Panthers have rookie Sam Hecht waiting in the wings.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers named among trade deadline buyers, but there's a catch
