Should the Carolina Panthers trade up for Justin Fields?

Could the Carolina Panthers land Justin Fields?

If the Carolina Panthers don’t end up trading for a quarterback this offseason, then it might become their main priority when the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around.

This is a little harsh on Teddy Bridgewater given the fact his protection was poor, Christian McCaffrey was available for only three games, and he hasn’t started a full season since 2015. But the NFL is a ruthless business and the writing is on the wall for the signal-caller in no uncertain terms.

Simply put, Carolina won’t hesitate to move up and try to acquire their quarterback of choice if the decision-makers think someone like Justin Fields can benefit them moving forward.

A recent mock draft from Pro Football Focus had the Panthers doing a deal with the Miami Dolphins to move up and take the Ohio State sensation ahead of the Atlanta Falcons at No. 4 overall, who might also be looking for a future franchise player with Matt Ryan approaching the end of his career.

"“Recent comments by Matt Rhule make it sound increasingly unlikely that Teddy Bridgewater will be the Panthers’ starting quarterback in 2021. If they lose out on the Watson sweepstakes, as they do in this scenario, it would make a lot of sense for them to jump ahead of Atlanta and secure one of the top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Fields’ player comparison in the PFF Draft Guide is “a smaller Cam Newton,” and here the Panthers tab him to replace Newton after a year with Bridgewater at the helm.”"

This would be bold and cost them some additional selections. But sitting on their hands could end up having a detrimental impact on Carolina’s chances of progression in the long run.

The asking price for Deshaun Watson might put them off, especially if they have to give up a couple of their exciting young defensive playmakers. Couple this with no real out on Bridgewater’s deal until 2022 and the prospect of drafting a player instead becomes more enticing.

With high risk comes the possibility of high reward.

And it seems Carolina is all-in on making a significant move at quarterback in the coming weeks.