The Panthers are 3-2, so most of the talk around the trade deadline has been about who Dan Morgan could bring to Carolina. After the last few years, it's a nice change to actually be talking about adding players instead of wondering who might be headed out.
I recently looked at five realistic trade targets Carolina could pursue before the deadline, but that doesn't mean Morgan won't listen if somebody calls about one of his guys.
Bobby Brown III is a name I wouldn't have thought much about a few weeks ago. He's playing, he's been good up front and Carolina isn't exactly in a position where it needs to start getting rid of defensive linemen. Still, I can see why another team would call.
Brown might actually bring something back
That's the difference between Brown and some of the more obvious names Carolina could move. If you're trading somebody who barely plays, you're probably not getting much in return.
Brown has generated seven pressures this season and has been a solid part of Carolina's defensive line. He's also under contract through 2027 after signing a three-year, $21 million deal with the Panthers.
An October look at Carolina's possible trade chips even pointed to Brown as the player who might bring back the best return. That doesn't mean Morgan is shopping him, because there's been no indication that's happening. But I could see a team looking for help up front calling Carolina and asking what it would take.
The Panthers have some options around him, too. They used a second-round pick on Lee Hunter, traded a 2028 sixth-round pick for TeRah Edwards before the season and now have Tershawn Wharton back.
That doesn't suddenly make Brown expendable. We've already seen enough injuries this season to know how quickly depth can disappear, and Morgan made it pretty clear before the season that having enough bodies up front mattered to him.
There's also the money. Brown is under contract for next season, but his cap number climbs to around $9.8 million in 2027. Carolina doesn't have to do anything about that now, but it's at least something to think about if another team comes calling with a good offer.
I wouldn't give him away
This is where I'd have a hard time actually pulling the trigger. The Panthers aren't 1-4 and looking toward next season. They're 3-2 and have a real chance to play meaningful football over the next couple of months.
We just watched Carolina find a way to win the kind of game it usually loses in Philadelphia. Trading a starting defensive lineman who's helping you win doesn't make much sense unless you're getting something worthwhile back.
Carolina has spent too much time trying to build depth up front to turn around and give some of it away for a late pick. If somebody calls and offers a sixth-rounder, I'm keeping Brown. I'd rather have him for the rest of this season, especially with Carolina right in the middle of the division race.
But if a team trying to make a run gets desperate for defensive-line help and offers Morgan something he wasn't expecting, I'd listen. Maybe that offer never comes, and that's fine. Brown is still a player who can help Carolina right now.
That's really what makes his name interesting around the deadline. He's not somebody Carolina needs to trade, and I don't think the Panthers should be calling around trying to move him. He's good enough, though, that another team might be the one making the call.
If that happens, I'd hear them out.
It just better be a pretty good offer.
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