The Carolina Panthers have won their last three games, improving to 4-3. A big reason why is the team’s potent rushing attack.
More specifically, the emergence of Rico Dowdle has taken the offense to another level over the last three weeks, as he is averaging 156 rushing yards during the winning streak. His surge was only possible because of an injury to starter Chuba Hubbard. Now he's back in the lineup, everyone is curious to see what Carolina will do with the loaded backfield.
With the trade deadline approaching, one option the Panthers have is trading one of their running backs away. That’s what Vinnie Iyer suggested in a recent piece for The Sporting News, naming the best trade deadline move every team should make.
NFL analyst thinks Carolina Panthers should trade Rico Dowdle before the deadline
For Carolina, Iyer suggested trading Dowdle to the Los Angeles Chargers. While there’s some rationale behind that proposal, it would be a bad move for both teams.
Iyer breaks down why this is a trade both sides should consider, explaining that the Panthers should move one of its talented backs, and Dowdle makes the most sense because Hubbard has already been paid. For Los Angeles, it has lost its top two backs to injury, so the former South Carolina standout would be a welcome presence in Jim Harbaugh's backfield.
"The Panthers need to move either Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard to clear up their force backfield committee. Given they paid Hubbard with a recent extension and Dowdle is a pending free agent with more appeal elsewhere, the latter is the better choice. The Chargers continue to fall apart in the backfield, down to relying on just Kimani Vidal, with Hassan Haskins now hurting with both Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris already on the shelf. Dowdle could clean that up for a strong AFC playoff contender."Vinnie Iyer (The Sporting News)
While that explanation makes sense, there are also factors on each side that should prevent this trade from happening. For the Chargers, promising rookie Omarion Hampton will soon return from injury, and Kimani Vidal has done a nice job of filling in. It wouldn’t really make sense to trade assets for a player on an expiring contract when the running back unit isn’t in that bad of a spot.
The Panthers shouldn’t consider this trade because winning is paramount. While it’s easy to say let’s move the running back who will be a free agent after this season, the reality is that Dowdle is a big reason why the team has four triumphs in their last five outings.
This is a franchise that desperately needs wins, so Carolina should prioritize keeping players who’ll help it win rather than gathering assets for the future.