5 ways the Panthers can best prepare for the future this offseason

Carolina Panthers must build around key stars

There is obvious temptation and speculation regarding the Carolina Panthers sacrificing some of their better young players to get a quarterback via trade. They don’t have much in the way of valuable draft capital following trades for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson, so this is something a team like the Houston Texans would undoubtedly demand if they came calling for Deshaun Watson once again.

However, this is not the best way to build a winning franchise. The Los Angeles Rams shifted the narrative somewhat n route to a memorable Super Bowl triumph, but it’s also worth remembering Carolina is nowhere near contending like Sean McVay’s men were when they decided to go all in.

The Panthers invested draft capital in strengthening their defense over the last two seasons. They also have some nice young pieces on offense they could build around providing no more rash decisions come to fruition.

Players like Derrick Brown, Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn, D.J. Moore, and Taylor Moton have the potential to be great. Moving any of them on could cause complications in terms of forming a complete roster capable of challenging.

David Tepper will be piling on the pressure, one suspects. But he’s waited this long for progress and should not mortgage any of his young talent for a short-term solution.