The Carolina Panthers traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. They recently fired head coach Matt Rhule. The Panthers have important decisions to make. The question is, what should the Carolina Panthers do now to prepare for the offseason?
Do Not Trade Young Stars
Trading McCaffrey was the right decision. He is a running back who has suffered multiple injuries over the past couple years. They got off of his contract in the future and got a very good return for him. Names like D.J. Moore and Brian Burns have reportedly drawn a lot of interest around the league from other teams. Moore is just 25 years old, he is having a bad season but that can be attributed to the poor quarterback play. Prior to this season, Moore has been a very good and consistent wide receiver. As if this was a no-brainer to not trade Moore, the Panthers would take on $42 million in dead cap if they trade him this year.
Brian Burns is a 24-year-old star pass rusher. Great pass rushers are not easy to come by. They should keep Burns because he can still fit their timeline in the new rebuild they are taking on. Burns’s play has not faltered even in a down year for the Panthers. It is important that the Panthers keep a young core to build for the future.
Panthers – Embrace Being Bad
The Panthers currently sit at the league’s worst record at 1-5. If the season ended today, they would have the number one pick in the draft. Without a head coach, and a future quarterback on the roster, they can and should continue to play badly. The coaches and the players will not want to play to lose games. The Panthers should trade away their older players that are starters. This would make it more likely that they keep the first overall pick, and they get draft assets to build with. It also gives the Panthers a chance to get some young players in the game, the organization can see what they have in them.
The only bad teams that get remembered in history are the teams that go winless. The Panthers should do what they can to secure the first pick and draft the franchise quarterback they have been missing so desperately since Cam Newton was in his prime.
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