The Carolina Panthers are somehow sitting atop the NFC South with a 3-4 record despite losing two straight games and dealing with a growing list of injuries.
But while the roster has some obvious holes, general manager Dan Morgan would be making a mistake by getting too aggressive ahead of the November 10 NFL trade deadline.
According to Over The Cap, the Panthers have $740,127 in available salary cap space, the second-lowest figure in the NFL.
Carolina Panthers may be too cash-strapped for trade deadline movement
That's barely enough financial flexibility to make a meaningful addition without moving money around.
To be fair, Carolina has legitimate reasons to explore the market.
Both starting cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Sr., have been on injured reserve since late September. Akayleb Evans has also landed on IR, leaving the Panthers dangerously thin in the secondary.
The offensive line isn't much better. Quarterback Bryce Young has been sacked 11 times over Carolina's last two games, while injuries to several linemen have forced the team to rely on its depth.
Still, spending draft capital to temporarily patch those holes feels shortsighted, especially with players such as Jackson and Brady Christensen working toward returns.
The bigger issue is that the Panthers have yet to prove they're good enough to justify an aggressive deadline approach.
Carolina Panthers should stick with what they have and hope for improvements
Yes, they're leading the NFC South. But they're also 3-4, coming off consecutive losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, and just fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
And now people are saying the Panthers are supposed to start giving up draft picks to chase another division title? That's a tough sell.
The NFC South is wide open, and Carolina absolutely has a chance to win it again. But being in first place in a division where every team is below .500 doesn't automatically mean the Panthers should start operating like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Some of their problems also won't be solved by adding one or two players.
The offensive line needs to protect Young better. The defense needs to adjust to a new coordinator. And Carolina needs to get healthy before anyone can accurately judge what this roster can do over the final stretch.
Morgan should absolutely answer the phone if another team offers a favorable deal. But unless there's a young, affordable player available at the right price, Carolina would be better off keeping its draft picks and letting the current roster play out the season.
The Panthers have already spent plenty of money trying to get back into contention. They now need to find out whether those investments were worth it.
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