“Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. . . mass hysteria!”
That’s pretty much the state of affairs for the Carolina Panthers and their fans right now because it seems nobody knows what’s going on, least of all the people calling the shots at the top.
For once, it’s hard to blame fans on Twitter for being irrational, confused, or outright angry with the direction of their franchise. If we’re being perfectly honest, we’re just as shocked as anyone by Wednesday’s news that the team has agreed to trade Trai Turner to the Chargers for Russell Okung.
Here’s a roundtable of takes from our team here at Panthers Wire, along with our letter grades for the deal.
Anthony Rizzuti
“The only plan worse than tanking is not having a plan at all, and it seems as if the Panthers are testing that theory. Are they upgrading at left tackle to gun for contention now or are they trading the relatively pricey two-year contract of Turner for an expiring one in an attempt to shed salary for a rebuild starting in 2021? And if it’s the latter, a 26-year-old five-time Pro Bowler couldn’t net you more than a 31-year-old coming off a pulmonary embolism and a groin strain that kept him out of 10 games last season? Carolina and its (mostly) new regime continues to send mixed signals.”
Grade: D
Bill Riccette
“This is a weird trade to figure out from the Panthers’ perspective at first glance, trading an All-Pro guard for an aging left tackle. However, the Panthers do clear space in 2021, as Okung will be a free agent after this season, which was likely a driving factor behind this deal. This also means the team has to be extremely concerned about last year’s second-round pick, Greg Little. At least Carolina has their left tackle for 2020, but OT might still be in play for the No. 7 pick.
Grade: C
Erik Williams
“The fact that Hurney actually traded Turner is absolutely mind-boggling, and even more so considering the conditions. There are so many questions that Matt Rhule and Hurney will need to answer after this. For one, what will happen with Greg Little? Will he kick into guard or slide over to right tackle? Or will he stay at left tackle and kick Okung over to right tackle? Another major question is if there are any conditional picks involved? It is hard to imagine that Hurney actually believes he is getting fair value in Okung for Turner straight up. There has to be a conditional pick involved in this, so until we hear more about it I would give this trade a C-.”
Grade: C-
Tim Weaver
“I just don’t get it. If the Panthers feel desperate for a left tackle, then they should have waited for the 2020 NFL draft, which is supposed to be extremely deep at the position. Instead, they traded their best OL to get a player who is five years older, not as good and has serious health concerns. Even if Okung is the left tackle they’ve been dreaming of, he’s only a one-year rental. Also, Turner is a model citizen and this sends the wrong message to the rest of the locker room. If this franchise is truly trying to rebuild, then they’re doing it the wrong way.”
Grade: D-
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