The Carolina Panthers reportedly are on the hunt for not just a starting wide receiver, but a No. 1 receiver, and the team is not willing to wait until closer to the NFL trade deadline to do it.
The Carolina Panthers were in desperate need of a franchise quarterback heading into the offseason and made the bold decision of trading off a large haul of assets to land the top pick overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. In the lead-up to the event, they identified Bryce Young as the best QB in his class and the last few months have done little to change their opinion.
Even though the team has gotten off to a rough 0-4 start to the 2023 NFL season, the organization reportedly still has high hopes for their potential this season. They have one of the better defenses in the league, talented veterans like Pro Bowler Miles Sanders on offense, and a young signal-caller they feel confident can be a star in the NFL.
However, they are still clearly in need of more pieces to improve an offense that is near the bottom of our recent NFL offense rankings. That is why it was reported over the weekend that general manager Scott Fitterer has been on the hunt for a starting wide receiver over the last couple of weeks.
Carolina Panthers believe they can still be a playoff team in 2023 despite 0-4 start
Recently, Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz expanded on his recent report on the Carolina Panthers’ belief in Young and why they want to get him more weapons on offense. Plus the desire to get a deal done now, and not when the market grows near the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.
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“The Panthers believe they can still win the NFC South, they believe they are a playoff team if they go out and get a No. 1 receiver. Now, No. 1 receivers don’t grow on trees and so there’s going to be a problem if you don’t have the draft capital and you really want to get that. Who are you going to be able to get, that’s the big question. There are a lot of really good young receivers — guys like Gabe Davis, Brandon Aiyuk — who have not yet been paid.
“I would expect Carolina to explore all options. I would expect them to push over these next two weeks, not [near the deadline] even, because they want to get a deal done now. And they want to find some real help for Bryce Young to actually try and contend in the NFC South.”
– Jordan Schultz
Teams that are willing to part with a talented wide receiver now are likely to get a very good return from the Panthers since that team would have a lot of leverage due to their insistence on getting a trade done sooner.