4 better backup quarterback options the Panthers could trade for in 2021
By Dean Jones
Gardner Minshew
Although the Jacksonville Jaguars have yet to name Trevor Lawrence as their starting quarterback, this is probably just a ploy to keep Gardener Minshew’s trade value at the level they expect.
There is absolutely no doubt that the No. 1 overall selection will be under center in Week 1. This obviously leaves Minshew on the outside looking in when one considers Lawrence is the best prospect to enter the NFL in quite some time.
Minshew has more going for him than most backups.
The former sixth-round pick emerged as the team’s starter in 2020 and produced plenty of memorable highlights for a team that wasn’t exactly loaded with talent. Should he become available, there will be more than a few willing suitors ready to make an offer.
The Carolina Panthers might be one of them if they aren’t convinced in Will Grier or P.J. Walker. This was an opinion shared by Chris Roling of The Bleacher Report, who named Minshew as the trade Scott Fitterer should make before training camp.
"“With Sam Darnold now entrenched as the starter and Teddy Bridgewater shipped off to Denver, there isn’t much to speak of on the depth chart behind the first slot. A trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Gardner Minshew could change that outlook in a hurry, though.”"
Roling added that it might cost the Panthers a fourth-round pick to get Minshew from Jacksonville. Whether this compensation is something they are willing to part with is another matter entirely.
Still, if this is a route Carolina is exploring, then Minshew would arguably be the top target judging by his situation and the level of production he’s generated so far.