The NFL’s trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and what the Carolina Panthers do this weekend against the Denver Broncos could shape their approach.
Smoke is in the air, and it has certainly been around for star defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who has been linked to trade rumors in recent days as teams look for interior defensive help. After the Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, the rumors have continued to grow.
Some believe the Panthers' second-round rookie Lee Hunter could be an adequate replacement if Brown were to be moved, but he isn’t enough to make the Panthers' franchise defender expendable.
Carolina Panthers would wave the white flag by trading Derrick Brown
A former standout for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Hunter is a powerful nose tackle who has flashed with penetration skills and two-gap ability as a rookie. Undrafted rookie Aaron Hall and Hunter have both produced promising plays on film, suggesting a high ceiling for both.
However, as the Panthers transition from Evero’s scheme to interim coordinator Todd Wash’s simplified system, Hunter, Hall, Brown, and the rest of the defensive front will change.
Carolina is expected to have more one-gap attacking principles with more penetration and crash techniques that can open the door for more aggression, potentially better run defense, and allow the edge rushers to play as their title suggests they are.
For guys like Hunter and Brown, this could be an exciting development for both. Hunter thrived when allowed to attack and penetrate the backfield, though a lack of pad level and elite length kept him from being more consistent.
Yet, with what Hunter has shown this season, it doesn’t make a good argument for the Panthers to make their star defensive tackle expendable.
First and foremost, the talk of trading Brown, a team captain and former Pro Bowler, is ridiculous at best.
Lee Hunter is nowhere close to Derrick Brown's caliber
While his production hasn’t been stellar this season, his impact goes beyond the box score, and he's remained a critical presence on the defensive front in games where the Panthers have excelled against the run.
I can understand if a team offers a trade package for Brown that the Chicago Bears paid for defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, but the Auburn product isn’t at his level as a top-two player at his position. Joe Person of The Athletic has already reported that the Panthers have no interest in trading Brown. And they're right.
Online fan discussions about trading Brown often point to Hunter and Hall as reasons to move on from such a talented player, and that is an ill-fated approach with short- and long-term repercussions that aren’t being fully processed yet.
Hunter and Hall are promising players, and two first-round picks are exciting, but the roster still needs plenty of work at depth.
I’d rather have a known player who had his best seasons in 2023 and 2025 under Wash, where he was penetrating the backfield consistently and is the team’s best run defender, than lean into the unknowns of rookies and draft picks that have yet to be made.
Hunter is a talented player, and he has a chance to develop into a good player. This is a hypothetical projection, though, and the Panthers should be within their rights to keep one of their best defenders and core pieces.
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