4 Panthers players who could benefit from trade deadline inactivity
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers players were fortunate to survive the 2022 trade deadline?
The 2022 trade deadline came and went without the Carolina Panthers making any further moves. They weren’t expected to be buyers given their current state, but general manager Scott Fitterer and his staff opted to keep this core intact despite some significant interest in the weeks following Matt Rhule’s firing.
Carolina moved on Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson, giving them additional draft capital for their new head coach to utilize in 2023. Turning down a reported offer from the Los Angeles Rams for Brian Burns was the strongest indicator yet that the Panthers believe in this young group and want to build around them rather than start from scratch.
A wise move considering Carolina isn’t that far away. Another strong offseason of recruitment coupled with keeping the likes of Matt Ioannidis and Bradley Bozeman should do the trick, although much will also depend on which way team owner David Tepper goes with his new man at the helm.
Some fans wanted more outgoings for a sustainable future. With that in mind, here are four Panthers players who could benefit from the team’s 2022 trade deadline inactivity.
Player No. 1
Cam Erving – Carolina Panthers OT
Cam Erving is nowhere near the starting lineup, and that’s absolutely fine. The Carolina Panthers have one of the league’s most improved offensive lines and outside of Pat Elflein, all are staying healthy en route to becoming an extremely cohesive group.
Erving has evolved into a veteran motivator, helping the likes of Ikem Ekwonu before and during the season. Although this has been a welcome change of pace, there was thought that he might be moved for a late-round selection to another team desperate for help along their protection.
As it turned out, Erving remains on the team. But that’s unlikely to be the case once his contract expires next spring.