Mr. Scot

Or we could just, you know, take the best tackle on the board when we have the chance.

Never said they rarely happen. Lying season still exists. With that said, not everything that fans see as a smokescreen actually is one, especially when it comes to teams scouting players. Sometimes checking out a particular player is due diligence, but that doesn't make it a smokescreen.

Former Panther alert... For some reason I was thinking he had already been signed somewhere.

They might not be doing that great a job of selling.

The Seahawks have issued the usual "we are aware of the situation and are investigating further" statement. If he actually did get in trouble just a short 48 hours after getting a second chance, yikes!

Works for me Damn, I just got a huge feeling of deja vu

I could see Denver wanting him, but not necessarily enough to give up what we'd want in return.

Same. I could see exploring this if we weren't able to get a top left tackle in the draft though.

We're not going to spend the number eight pick on a player just so we can trade him later. When you're a rebuilding team with a top ten pick in the draft. You're going to take somebody that can contribute right now. As to Fields, don't know. Could be genuine interest. Could be due diligence.

I know a lot of fans assume that if they believe a certain player is good or bad, the team must feel the same, but as often as not what the team thinks of certain players doesn't align with what fans think.

I get that everybody thinks everything is a smokescreen, but again that doesn't happen nearly as much as fans think it does.

And there's no guarantee that they liked what they saw at that first one either, especially given that more than one source has indicated the Panthers aren't high on Lance.

They went to Zach Wilson's.

Kinda like the first post in this thread?

For what it's worth, his skill set and experience would have made him a good fit here. Andy Reid thinks he'd make a great coach. If Brady winds up getting a head coaching job and Sean Ryan succeeds him as OC, maybe we could talk to Smith about being a quarterback coach.

Smith is retiring.

I know fans think everything that comes out is a smokescreen, but it's not really as common as people think. I acknowledge it's possible, but I honestly wouldn't put money on the Panthers taking Lance.

Have you seen how many players we signed?

Source added that they're "not as high" on Lance. This isn't the first time we've heard that suggested. More than one analyst has said they weren't all that big on more than the top two or three quarterbacks.

Technically they already did. I know a lot of folks don't believe in Darnold, but all that really matters is whether or not the Panthers do.

Breer is one of the best NFL reporters in the business. Mind you, that doesn't mean he's always right (nobody is).

A reminder that Sam Darnold isn't the only player the Panthers are deciding on, and an analysis that might surprise you (from Breer in the MMQB) The deadline on fifth-year options for 2018 first-round picks is two weeks from Monday, and I think that none have yet been exercised is telling. Yes, there has been one extension, that one was signed by Raiders LT Kolton Miller. And there are a few others that really are no-brainers (Quenton Nelson, Josh Allen, Bradley Chubb, Denzel Ward, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaire Alexander, Frank Ragnow). But past that? I think the reluctance to pick up the options can be tied to two things, and those two things can be connected. One, the obvious, that these options, under the new CBA, are fully guaranteed (and not just guaranteed for injury until the following March) for the first time. So there won’t be any more cases like Adoree' Jackson’s this year, where a team hedges its bet by picking up the option, then makes the decision to cut him a year later. And two, I think the realities of the 2022 cap come into play here (most expect it to be relatively flat for another year, before a big jump in 2023), and so teams might be waiting to see who they wind up with in the draft to make a final decision on pricey options for next year, especially if the players with option decisions coming have injury issues (Chargers S Derwin James and Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch are two examples of that). Also, if you just take a gander at the 2018 first round, there are plenty of guys there who would qualify as close calls—good, but maybe not quite great players (Rashaan Evans, Isaiah Wynn, and D.J. Moore are three names that seem to fit that category).