Carolina Panthers candidates to be available at NFL trade deadline if things go south

Carolina should be much better than last season. But if things go sour in the NFC South in the first half of the year, they might be willing to deal a few assets.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 31: Adam Thielen #19 of the Carolina Panthers looks on prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. / (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers should be much better than most people are expecting going into the 2024 season. However, you don't need to remind Carolina fans of just how fast a season can go wrong. All kinds of things could trip this team up, from injuries to a lack of progress from Bryce Young to a first-year head coach potentially getting in over his head.

If things do go bad in the first half of the season, it's not difficult to imagine the Panthers being sellers when the NFL trade deadline comes around. This season that will be on November 5, after Week 9. Here are a few players who we could see getting dealt at the deadline if Carolina general manager Dan Morgan is in the mood to sell.

WR Adam Thielen

Thielen still has some ability, but at 34 years old his chances of making a deep playoff run are starting to get very thin. A team that's in need of an experienced wide receiver at mid-season might be willing to part with a Day 3 pick to get Thielen, who has a reasonable-enough contract. He will become extra-expendable if the Panthers like what they see from rookie Xaver Legette the first half of the season.

LB Shaq Thompson

Thompson is nearing the end of his run with Carolina in any case, and the ascension of rookie Trevin Wallace means it's only a matter of time before he joins the starting defensive unit. Dealing Thompson to another team would save the Panthers over $5 million in cap space over the next two years and open up a spot for Wallace in the lineup.

RB Chuba Hubbard

Nobody's days are more clearly numbered on this roster than the guy at the top of their depth chart at running back. Hubbard is in the final year of his rookie deal, carrying just a $3.29 million cap hit for Carolina in 2024. That makes him highly tradeable, as will the inevitable rise of rookie Jonathon Brooks, who was considered the top running back prospect in the class of 2024. Getting anything in return for Hubbard would be a bonus considering he's unlikely to be around next year, anyway.

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