Cat Scratch Reader
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! This week was a lot more fun, since we weren’t lamenting another tough Panthers loss. Now, the Panthers face a big test against the Cowboys this week as we being to unwrap what exactly this iteration of the Panthers truly is. Let’s dive in to your questions!
Coach_K: Since the Jags beat us in the home opener, did they steal our Super Bowl or are we still winning it all?
I like this attitude! The Jaguars have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 NFL season, so I definitely feel a bit different after that loss 5 weeks and 4 games later. We still don’t know what this version of the Panthers will end up looking like, but starting the season off against the Jaguars and ending it against the Jaguars in the Super Bowl would be pretty cool!!
Jesse_Pinkman: Who on the Jets, Raiders or Bengals should the Panthers try a trade for? I would like to see Quinnen Williams with Derrick Brown. That would be a nasty duo up front. Garrett Wilson would be great as well. From the Raiders Jakobi Meyers would be nice too.
I don’t know if the Panthers should be in the market to trade for players at the trade deadline, I guess I would feel differently if the Panthers were 4-1 or 3-2, but as I stated above, I don’t really know how to feel about this iteration of the Panthers. They are so volatile from week to week, even quarter to quarter, that I don’t know if trading any premium draft assets makes a lot of sense. Quinnen Williams and Garrett Wilson would both immediately add value to this defense, both will also not be cheap. Williams carries a pretty heavy cap hit for the final two years of his contract and would likely need a new contract to make sense and to give him more guaranteed money. Wilson on the other hand just signed a new contract, so not as big of a question.
I think overall the Panthers should be looking for opportunities to trade for less of the high end names, maybe more of the guys with question marks and upside, or veterans that could stabilize some things (inside linebacker, DL/OL depth, etc). I don’t expect a move any time soon, but closer to the deadline I’m sure we’ll see some rumors of who could be on the trade block.
KeepPounding88: Let’s say by the end of the season our front office determines that Bryce is not the guy. Do you think they get desperate and just draft the best QB available at wherever we pick in the 1st, or will we be patient and potentially sign a vet/draft someone in the later rounds?
This is kind of hard to say at 2-3 on the season, especially since the last two draft classes seem wildly different as far as hits and...
