4 ways Stephon Gilmore will help the Carolina Panthers
By Jason Huber
What are four ways that cornerback Stephon Gilmore can help after being traded to the Carolina Panthers in a bombshell move?
It wasn’t a dream.
Four-time Pro Bowler and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore was actually traded to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday for just a sixth-round pick in 2023.
When the news broke early in the day that the New England Patriots were planning on releasing Gilmore after the two were unable to reach a new contract extension, there was some social media talk about the Rock Hill native signing with the Panthers.
But nobody actually thought a trade would go down.
However, it did, and despite Gilmore being ineligible to come off the PUP list for his quad injury until Week 6, Carolina is showing that they are going all-in this season and believe they can make some major noise in just Year 2 of the Matt Rhule era.
The trade for Gilmore is the 13th that first-year general manager Scott Fitterer has made with the Panthers since taking over in January. The saying that he’d be “in on every deal” has proven to be true.
Carolina is currently 3-1 after losing its first game of the year to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday but they’re tied for the early division lead with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have made the moves to keep pace with them.
There are obviously uncertainties of whether Gilmore can get back to his dominant self after tearing his quad last season. But chances are he will be poised as he’ll have less than a full season to prove why he deserves a new contract.
So, here are four ways that Gilmore can instantly help the Panthers.