The Carolina Panthers have already made one blockbuster trade this offseason. They completed a deal with the Chicago Bears to acquire the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Finding a franchise cornerback has been on the to-do list for the Panthers for years and they will have the opportunity to finally address it this year.
The cost for Carolina to trade up was expensive. They sent four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore to Chicago in exchange for the chance to select their new starting quarterback. While that was their biggest need, it was far from the only one that the Panthers have.
Finding a long-term wide receiver to develop along with the quarterback they select is important. Adam Thielen and DJ Chark were both signed in free agency but could be short-term solutions. On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers could use some more pass rushers.
Given how wide open the NFC South looks to be, Carolina could use what little is left of their draft capital to bring in some established talent to help upgrade the roster. One pass rusher who should be of interest to them is Za’Darius Smith of the Minnesota Vikings.
Smith remains on the Vikings roster despite letting the franchise know that he would like to move on. Smith signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Minnesota as a free agent last year after agreeing to a deal with the Baltimore Ravens during the legal tampering period.
If Smith has his way, he will be one-and-done with the Vikings. Carolina is a logical landing spot as they could use another edge rusher to pair with two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns. Burns is coming off a career-high 12.5 sack season, which accounted for more than a third of the team’s total.
What could a deal between the Panthers and Vikings look like? Carolina has two fourth-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft; Nos. 114 and 132. Offering one of those in exchange for Smith could be enough to get a deal done.
Minnesota likely hasn’t released Smith yet in hopes of receiving some kind of draft compensation in return. A fourth-round pick is certainly better than nothing as the Vikings have some depth issues to address on their roster with a few more veterans rumored to potentially be on the move.
As for Carolina, their defense, which was below average overall in 2022, would receive a huge boost with the addition of Smith. He has recorded double-digit sacks in three out of the last four seasons, with the only miss being in 2021 with the Green Bay Packers when he missed all but one regular season game.
Smith and Burns would be a devastating pass-rushing duo off the edge. With Derrick Brown coming into his own at defensive tackle, the Panthers would have the makings of a very strong front seven and defense that could make a giant leap in 2023.
