Mr. Scot

Perhaps, but until Rhule is gone I'm not really expecting it to let up all that much.

Yikes

That doesn't specify how they're going to fix it though. From the article: But the Panthers are also starting to get comfortable with the idea of sliding Brady Christensen to left tackle, signing a guard or two in free agency and drafting a quarterback at No. 6. Christensen would start at left tackle, Michael Jordan would start or backup at left guard, Pat Elflein would start at center, a new right guard and Taylor Moton would start at right tackle.

I do too. I'm just not so sure I want them out of this year's draft.

It's possible. They smokescreened interest in Justin Fields last year. That said, I have a feeling that at least as far as Matt Rhule and David Tepper go, the interest in Kenny Pickett is real.

Better than that, they have a superior offensive line...

Not that I'd necessarily be against it depending on what we get back, but there's a part of me that's tired of supplying missing pieces for other teams rather than building our own. Unfortunately, we'd have to be run by smarter people to start doing the latter.

You're not one of the people I'm talking about.

Panthers becoming more open to drafting a QB Excerpts: While the Panthers’ first priority remains to fix its offensive line, don’t be surprised if they take one of the top quarterbacks in April’s draft. The narrative surrounding this quarterback class is that it’s weak compared to others. But the Panthers’ staff isn’t buying it. “History says that there will probably be a quarterback that comes out here that will be a franchise quarterback,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule told reporters last Wednesday. “Obviously, we pick six, so we have a lot of options.” ... Ideally, the Panthers would have liked for their gamble on Sam Darnold to pay off. They invested three draft picks, including a second- and fourth-round pick in 2022, on Darnold. He’s going to make $18.9 million in 2022 after the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on his contract last year. But it hasn’t worked out, and Rhule and Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer were both on record saying that they would be aggressive in their pursuit of a quarterback. “It’s really an important decision for us,” Fitterer said. “Do we go the free-agent route, do we go through the draft? We’re fairly far along on the quarterback evaluation on the college class. We’ve gone through it from a free agent standpoint. We’ll look at all other options that are out there. ... Most draft experts and scouts say Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross are the top three offensive tackles in this draft. All three are expected to be Day 1 starters. And if one of those guys is on the board, the Panthers will most likely take him. But the Panthers are also starting to get comfortable with the idea of sliding Brady Christensen to left tackle, signing a guard or two in free agency and drafting a quarterback at No. 6. Christensen would start at left tackle, Michael Jordan would start or backup at left guard, Pat Elflein would start at center, a new right guard and Taylor Moton would start at right tackle. ... The Panthers will also look at trading back if they can get multiple picks in return. In that case, former Nevada quarterback Carson Strong would be an option later in the first round, a source told The Observer. Everyone knows that the Panthers won’t be able to turn things around until they get both the offensive line and quarterback fixed, but they are tempering their expectations when it comes to who they can acquire. ... Deshaun Watson’s legal situation has not yet been resolved. And most observers believe Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson will stay put in Green Bay and Seattle, respectively. Also, while there were reports that the Panthers inquired about Cousins in Minnesota, two sources said that call never occurred. The coaching staff and front office were actually in a meeting when they heard the news and laughed it off. ... Cousins’ salary cap number is $45 million in 2022, and the Panthers are in no position to pay that. Given their cap space and Darnold’s salary, the Panthers will need an option that won’t cost as much. Unless the Panthers were to trade for a veteran quarterback with a lower salary or sign a veteran in free agency, drafting a quarterback and using what they have on the offensive line is looking like their best option.

One or two of our dimmer bulbs are still riding that train.

If he winds up in the same backfield as Josh Allen, yikes!

To be clear, the article only says the teams have called and asked about him and mentions what the Panthers price might be. It's quite possible that teams, upon hearing that price, are saying "no thanks".

I don't think he "proved" he's worth as much as he's asking.

Honestly, they need the money just to be normal participants in free agency. So if you're expecting big moves, you might be disappointed. Keep in mind players would still have to want to come here.

Not really, no.

From the same article... I think the reality of Deshaun Watson's legal situation led to the relative crickets on his trade prospects. The unknown is scaring teams right now.

From the article on the McCaffrey trade offers... One team told me pending free agent pass rusher Haason Reddick is looking for a deal averaging up to $17 million per year. He's had 23.5 sacks in the last two years for two different teams so he's going to get paid. But that number explains why the Panthers aren't rushing to re-sign him. NFL Insider Notebook

Possible next one...

Not too many players tagged so far with only a few days left to do so. I know we had some fans of both Brown and Njoku on here.

I can't see the team going this route unless Tepper has given up on Matt Rhule. Hard to imagine a coach who's trying to save his ass agreeing to this.

Yeah, that stung me too.

Mike Sando on Trubisky (from the Pick Six article quoted in the other thread) 4. Speaking of QB desperation, perhaps you’ve seen reports Mitch Trubisky could be in demand as a starter, commanding an eight-figure contract. Imagine studying Trubisky’s career, noticing the Chicago Bears had a 35-25 (.558) record in all his starts and thinking that kind of team success might be replicable elsewhere with Trubisky in the lineup. Believing that requires focusing on the Bears’ questionable offensive coaching/personnel and thinking one season as a backup in Buffalo has helped Trubisky, while discounting quantifiable factors. The best thing about 2021 for Trubisky’s asking price was the fact he didn’t have to play. Trubisky is one of 55 quarterbacks to make at least 30 regular-season and postseason starts over the past decade. His Chicago offenses ranked 40th out of the 55 in expected points added (EPA) per game, according to TruMedia. His combined Bears defenses and special teams ranked third among the 55. If you’ve got a dominant defense/special teams, you might also win 56% of your games despite getting poor production from your quarterback/offense. If you do not possess those things and decide to sign Trubisky anyway, you’re betting on a Trubisky-led offense performing better than Trubisky-led offenses have performed across 60 starts in the past — perhaps much better, depending on how weak your defense/special teams might be.

Via Mike Sando in the Athletic... 1. Jaguars: Evan Neal 2. Lions: Aidan Hutchinson 3. Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux 4. Jets: Kyle Hamilton 5. Giants: Ikem Ekwonu 6. Panthers: Trevor Penning 7. Giants: Devin Lloyd 8. Falcons: Garrett Wilson 9. Broncos: Jermaine Johnson 10. Jets: Chris Olave Regarding the Panthers pick... Penning does not appear in the top 10 of most mock drafts, but the GM thought the 6-foot-7 prospect deserved consideration even higher than this. “Penning won’t get past Carolina,” the GM predicted. The GM said he thought there would be sufficient tackle options at No. 6, including Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, for Carolina to stay in this slot and land one. Link: Mike Sando's Pick Six

Which is why that's what we'd like to hear him say...