One doesn't have to look far throughout recent Carolina Panthers history for woeful moves in the trade market. It was one rash gamble after another that failed to pay off. Thankfully, things are being run more competently these days.
Dan Morgan, Dave Canales, and Brandt Tilis have an aligned vision for the future. They have a long-term plan in place, and always put the team's best interests at heart. If it doesn't make business sense, they'll go in a different direction.
That wasn't always the case. Trading top stars such as Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore set the Panthers back considerably. Their constant stream of failed quarterback acquisitions didn't exactly help either. And once you're chasing answers at football's most important position, doom swiftly follows.
Carolina Panthers trade for Greg Little was a complete catastrophe
Kristopher Knox from The Bleacher Report highlighted another failed transaction as Carolina's worst of the last decade. The analyst thought trading up for offensive tackle Greg Little at No. 37 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft was the most glaring failure of all. And with good reasons attached.
"The Panthers' 2019 trade up to draft offensive tackle Greg Little? That ended up being a flat-out bad deal. Carolina needed a tackle and surrendered a third-round pick to move up 10 spots and secure Little. Little made it to Carolina, and then pretty much disappeared. Injuries limited him to four games as a rookie and again in 2020. He also struggled with play strength and footwork, failing to flash the potential needed to earn patience from the franchise. The Panthers traded away Little after just two years and 14 games."Kristopher Knox
Marty Hurney panicked when he thought edge protectors would start flying off the board. The previous general manager thought he struck gold with the former Ole Miss standout. It quickly became an unmitigated disaster.
Little struggled with injuries and poor production when called upon. He couldn't put any consistency together despite some intriguing athletic attributes. The Panthers eventually traded him to the Miami Dolphins for nothing more than a seventh-round pick.
He didn't last long in Miami. The lineman was waived after a brief stint with the Houston Texans that lasted just three months. Little is without a home currently and hasn't played competitively since 2022. All signs point to the league being done with the player at just 27 years old.
Things look much more promising for Carolina's offensive line now. This unit went from an ongoing frustration to one of the team's biggest strengths. They made things easier for quarterback Bryce Young, and running back Chuba Hubbard made incredible strides in front of this imposing group.
That won't matter much to Little, whose career in Carolina will be remembered for the wrong reasons.