Carolina Panthers: Stealing one player from each NFC South foe in 2023
By Dean Jones
It's been a strong recruitment period for the Carolina Panthers, but what if they could steal one player from each NFC South foe to strengthen their chances in 2023?
Players and staff within the Carolina Panthers are enjoying some downtime of sorts before making the trip to Wofford College in Spartanburg for the start of training camp. The heat and breathless humidity aren't for everyone, so it'll be interesting to see which individuals shine or melt depending on their respective performance levels.
If everything goes well leading up to the regular season, one couldn't completely dismiss an NFC South challenge in the first campaign under Frank Reich. The division is seemingly there for the taking after Tom Brady mercifully retired and looking at the current state of affairs, none of the four teams could be ruled out with any great confidence.
It's been a positive offseason of recruitment overall for the Panthers. One or two problem positions remain, but those in power do possess plenty of salary-cap space if they aren't impressed with their current options over the early stages of Carolina's highly-anticipated camp.
But what if they could steal one player from every NFC South to strengthen their ranks in 2023? Here are our choices in this hypothetical scenario.
Carolina Panthers steal A.J. Terrell
- Cornerback | Atlanta Falcons
It's no secret that concerns about the cornerback position remain. Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn are both recovering from injuries ahead of camp, but it's not hard to see where the complications could emerge if one or both go down for any length of time when competitive game commence.
The Atlanta Falcons aren't blessed with the greatest quality. There was a temptation to go with rookie running back Bijan Robinson or star tight end Kyle Pitts here, but cornerback A.J. Terrell is the pretty obvious choice looking at need.
Terrell has rapidly emerged into one of the best young cornerbacks anywhere in the league. His 2021 campaign was nothing short of exceptional and although production dipped slightly last season, not many on the Falcons emerged from their games with any real credit.
Pairing the former Clemson star with Horn would give the Carolina Panthers arguably the NFL's most prolific young tandem. One that would make Ejiro Evero's defense a dominant force in 2023.