Panthers midyear trades have positive results
A practice that is slowly becoming more common, the Carolina Panthers completed yet another midyear trade this season…
Midseason trades in the NFL have been seldom used over the years but have become a staple during almost any successful Carolina Panthers season. In fact, there was an in season trade made in each of the Panthers last three winning seasons.
The first trade was in 2013 when the Panthers traded away linebacker Jon Beason to the New York Giants in early October for a seventh round draft pick. The move occurred during an early bye week and at the time Carolina was 1-3, on the cusp of having a disappointing season.
The trade was met with mixed emotions. On the one hand losing a starter and former Pro Bowl caliber player, it seemed as though the front office was giving up on the year and was more determined to get a better look at Luke Kuechly. The second year linebacker was coming off winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and eventually went on to win Defensive Player of the Year. After the trade the Panthers went 11-2 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.
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Another trade happened in 2015 when the Panthers added the active NFL sack leader Jared Allen on September 29. Kony Ealy failed to record a sack over the first three weeks of the season and the addition of a seasoned veteran was extremely exciting. The move helped factor in to Carolina going 12-1 after the trade. Although he only ended up with two sacks for the Panthers, his presence on the field always demanded attention.
The most recent trade took place this past season when the Panthers traded away their most productive wide receiver to the Buffalo Bills. Kelvin Benjamin was traded on Halloween for both a third and seventh round pick. Over the first eight weeks of the season the Panthers offense averaged 18.5 points per game. After the trade, the offense increased to 26.8 points per game and the Panthers went 6-2 to finish out the season earning second place in their division.
It may be the morale in the locker room, the change in team chemistry or it could just be a heightened sense of urgency but the Panthers historically respond in an extremely positive way to changes.
Next: NFL Draft History - Wide Receivers
Following a midseason trade the Panthers have gone 29-5 during the regular season. This franchise appears to thrive on change and it may be a prerequisite to winning the Lombardi trophy.