The Panthers are 0-2 in the preseason, but still No. 1 in the Carolina faithful’s hearts.
Naturally, the fan base has some questions about the lame start to the exhibition slate, so The Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to make sense of it all. From questions about trades to roster numbers, we’ve done our best to answer some notable inquiries from social media.
Can Carolina land Hendrickson?
JC8 (and several others) on X asks: Do you see any realistic way we could make the Trey Hendrickson deal work any way at all?
As it stands now, the Panthers, in theory, could make the deal work financially. However, I would put the likelihood of such a transaction between slim and none.
The Panthers are looking to contend long term, and while they have $18.88 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, they probably have a plan to rollover a good chunk of that sum into the 2026 salary cap. Teams are allowed to enhance their spending by rolling over unused space from the previous year. With the Panthers looking to contend long term and right the ship over a three-year period, 2026 feels like their landmark for gratification. So, having as much spending money as possible, especially with Bryce Young entering the fourth year of his rookie contract in 2026, is astute.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cincinnati Bengals — who have been in a contract standstill with Hendrickson for months — are looking for a draft pick (or multiple draft picks) and a young player for the league’s reigning sack leader. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has alluded to the player of preference in a swap would to be a defender.
Hendrickson, 30, is seeking heavy guaranteed money after making four consecutive Pro Bowls. He has produced 57 total sacks in four seasons with the Bengals. Still, Cincinnati is playing hard ball — as is par for the course — and while they’ve allowed Hendrickson to seek a trade, the Bengals aren’t likely to cave on his request to be shipped out in short order. The Bengals have a long history of keeping their eyes open in a staring contest with talent. Just ask QB Carson Palmer, who had to hold out well into the season to get his trade wish to head to Oakland after missing half the campaign.
From a scheme perspective, Hendrickson thrives as a down lineman in a 4-3 defense. The Panthers run a 3-4 front with hybrid packages, and Hendrickson or the Panthers would need to adjust to make the most of the deal. Being on the wrong side of 30 and being an awkward scheme fit makes him a bit less appealing, especially this late in the summer. If the Panthers wanted to build their defense around Hendrickson, they should have tried to pull this move off in March.
The Panthers have shied away from aging players this offseason. They also moved on from Jadeveon Clowney with the idea of getting younger at the position for the long-term outlook. The team spent Day 2 picks on Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen and gave a quality two-year deal to Patrick Jones. Plus, Carolina seems much higher on DJ Wonnum than those outside the organization.
Hendrickson is no doubt a difference maker. The issue here is an awkward thread between adding Hendrickson on a massive deal and the Panthers’ apparent plan in Year 2 under GM Dan Morgan. It’s not a “no way” scenario, but it would seem antithetical to the journey Carolina has taken thus far. Hendrickson will have all of the leverage in a negotiation no matter what the Panthers trade for him because he’s already known to want a massive deal with a lot of guaranteed money..
As far as the trade value, if I were the Bengals, I’d ask for a Day 2 pick and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. I don’t think Morgan would jump at that deal, as he known to be protective of draft capital. The Panthers are also starting to deal with injury issues on the offensive line already, so including one in a trade might not be plausible either.
Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn and Tre’von Moehrig should be untouchable for Hendrickson, given his age and demands. And outside of that trio, it’s hard to find a huge trade chip on the defense. Plus, the Panthers would further convolute their salary cap situation with a trade of any of the players they just recently signed in free agency.
So, again, possible but likely improbable.
Here’s the kicker (competition)
Jedd on X asks: Any update on the kicking competition? Ryan Fitzgerald (with a) make on Saturday and Matthew Wright missed. Seems like Fitzgerald has the bigger leg.
The kicking competition has been a lot closer than I expected. Fitzgerald had the rookie pedigree to run away with the job, but Wright has been seemingly more consistent on field goals and kickoffs thus far.
Yes, Fitzgerald nailed a 52-yarder in Houston, while Wright missed a 55-yard shot. I don’t think that’ll decide the job.
During the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, concentrate on the kickoffs. While both kickers have shown the ability to make steady field goals, it feels like the staff is really putting an emphasis on the new kickoff strategy, which involves launching the ball to the ground inside the 20-yard line for better coverage.
Fitzgerald has always been the favorite, but Wright has been steadier in practice. Thursday could be the tiebreaker when all is said and done.
Fantasy fun
Cody on X asks: Leader in targets for the Panthers? And more impressed with Trevor Etienne or Rico Dowdle?
Ideally, the Panthers would probably prefer for first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan to lead them in targets, catches, yards and touchdowns. With Adam Thielen taking a bit of a step back this summer, McMillan could very well accomplish that outlook.
The rookie’s major competition is probably Thielen, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Xavier Legette. After spending the eighth overall pick on McMillan, though, Carolina will want to feed him the ball. It’ll be matter of staying healthy, getting open and making the most of his targets to lead the pass-catchers.
Etienne has been more impressive in games than I expected. He catches the ball well and his return opportunities have mostly been encouraging. I like the way he uses his vision and balance as a runner, and I’ve been impressed by his ability to burst through the tackle box.
Dowdle obviously has a track record. The veteran has been very good in the passing game in practice, and I think his one-cut style as a runner complements Chuba Hubbard.
Dowdle should get a lot of runs early in the season, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Etienne, a fourth-round pick, surge up the production count during the second half of the campaign.
A safety, please?
Shawn on X asks: With Patriots safety Kyle Dugger seemingly on the trade block, has Carolina shown any interest in adding another safety?
The sense here is the Panthers will pay attention to the safety market before and after the cut deadline. Even if they don’t think there’s an upgrade at the starting position, they could afford to get better from a depth perspective.
Dugger is due a $9.7 million base salary this year, which is fully guaranteed. The Panthers aren’t likely to have interest in that base salary at all, especially as the New England Patriots have essentially demoted him for his play. Carolina would probably be best off waiting for the Patriots to cut Dugger if they were interested. Or perhaps Dugger could be open to renegotiating his deal with a trade partner to assure he gets a big role to go along with his hefty salary.
Dugger is coming off a subpar season, and he has no guarantees beyond this upcoming season. Perhaps a willing trade partner would have some leverage in reworking Dugger’s deal if they wanted to extend his outlook with the new team. For instance, they could spread that guaranteed salary over two years instead of one by paying him a signing bonus as a sign of good faith.
Either way, the Panthers need to be creative if they want to upgrade any spot on their defense ahead of the waiver wire.
A little tight end talk
Ben on X asks: Given the Panthers drafted Mitchell Evans and Ja’Tavion Sanders seems to be TE1, is Tommy Tremble the next Ian Thomas? Meaning, is he the next TE who is kept on the roster and paid well while seemingly providing little value?
Tremble is the best blocker at the position, so I’m not sure I’d say he provides little value. He’s also proven to be a considerably reliable red zone target because of his size and toughness. Sanders should get the bulk of the looks from Young in the passing game, but when the offense goes to a two tight end look, Tremble will be a key cog as a blocker and receiver. Canales is fond of Tremble, and the fifth-year tight end has grown as a receiver over the past two years.
Ian Thomas was reduced to being a special teams contributor and part-time blocker over the past two years. There’s more receiving juice with Tremble at this point.
Regarding Evans, it could be a while before we see him as a receiving threat. He’s largely been fine as a blocker during his rookie summer, but the pass-catching needs to be more consistent. He is likely to be a special teams contributor early on, but if Tremble is healthy, he won’t be a whole lot more.