Andy Dalton's departure from the Carolina Panthers feels imminent. General manager Dan Morgan confirmed the club is looking for a younger quarterback to develop behind Bryce Young. The veteran has been made available for trade, but nothing has materialized as yet.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that calls have been made about what it might take to acquire Dalton. That won't be much, but teams also know he'll probably be released in the not-too-distant future. This scenario seems inevitable, so attention now turns to what the Panthers have planned next.
And one respected insider revealed a name that no one had seriously considered until now.
Jeremy Fowler names Kenny Pickett as a potential option for the Carolina Panthers
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN thought Kenny Pickett was a potential name to watch in Carolina. Though surprising, it fits with the team's desire for a fresh face with more years left in the league.
Pickett was under strong consideration for the Panthers in the 2022 NFL Draft. They rightfully avoided the temptation, taking left tackle Ikem Ekwonu at No. 6 overall instead. The signal-caller eventually went to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20, but it didn't take long to realize that things were not going to work out.
Things quickly fizzled out in Pittsburgh. Pickett's been traded three times throughout his brief career: to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cleveland Browns, and the Las Vegas Raiders. But with the AFC West club set to spend the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, he'll probably be free to take his chances elsewhere.
Acquiring Pickett would be underwhelming, even for a backup quarterback. There are no genuinely exciting traits for the Panthers to mold. He's completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,953 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. His one game for the Raiders last season came with a 3.4 QBR.
Maybe Morgan would be better off using a later-round pick on a development project. Someone like Trey Lance seems to have more untapped potential than Pickett, but that would be another risky acquisition. Either way, it seems as if Dalton's valuable behind-the-scenes contribution is coming to an end, so the Panthers need to get this minor yet extremely important move right.
Nobody who comes in is going to threaten Young's spot. He's the starter growing in confidence and firmly cemented as a rising locker room leader. Another encouraging year will see the signal-caller get a bumper new contract. And he no longer needs an experienced mentor to steer him along the way.
Pickett could be the No. 2. Still, that would place even more onus on Young to stay healthy if the Panthers went down this route.