The NFL Trade Deadline has been heating up this week and the Carolina Panthers are one of the teams that could explore getting in on the action before Nov. 10. At 3-3, the Panthers are right on the edge of being a team to watch to make a move and next week would be the ideal opportunity to strike.

The Panthers play on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers and then have a mini-bye before the team’s next game on Nov. 8. If there’s a time to make a move, it would be next week depending on how Thursday’s game goes.

And the Panthers have an obvious position of need. Carolina desperately needs help at cornerback. Mike Jackson is out until some point in November and Jaycee Horn won’t be back until December at the earliest. In their place, the Panthers have thrown rookie Will Lee III and Akayleb Evans into the fire and not gotten good results. And now Evans is dealing with an injury, which has really stretched the position thin.

Teams have realized that the outside cornerback is a weak link for this defense, both in the passing game and on outside runs. If it continues to be a problem on Thursday, Dan Morgan will have no choice but to make a move. And ESPN floated two potential options and one trade chip the Panthers could use.

Trade Option #1: Flip Ja’Tavion Sanders and a third-round pick for Riq Woolen

The first name to break down is Riq Woolen, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason on a one-year deal. Woolen has played 99 percent of the defensive snaps in Philadelphia and has struggled as of late. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said if there’s one name the Eagles could flip, Woolen’s name has come up often.

Woolen has elite traits and can play in both man or zone schemes. He has a knack for being around the football and can be a disruptor. Using the A to Z Sports Trade Simulator, the Panthers could pull it off and Carolina could even entice the Eagles to take tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders off their hands given their need at the position.

It still wouldn’t be cheap and would cost a third-round pick to make it happen, along with needing to free some more cap space to onboard Woolen’s deal.

Trade Option #2: A cheaper reunion with Donte Jackson

The second name ESPN brought up is an interesting one. It was Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson, a name Panthers fans should remember well. Jackson was a second-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018 and started 76 games in Carolina throughout his six years with the team.

In 2024, the Panthers traded Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a trade that didn’t really work out for either side. However, Jackson has continued to ascend as a player and would be able to slide back in to Ejiro Evero’s system if the Panthers were to pursue a reunion.

Here’s what this deal could look like, and it would be a lot cheaper, but again the Panthers would have to clear some room to make it happen.

My take on what the Panthers will do

Cornerback is a major immediate need for this team, but if the Panthers were going to make a move, they would have already done it at the position. At this point, the best move might be holding out until Jackson and Horn eventually return.

It’s not a decision I agree with based on how Evans has played and how Lee continues to be heavily targeted. But, who honestly knows if an outside addition would be much better at this point, and it would take a few days for that player to even get caught up to speed in order to play.

I believe the Panthers will just continue rolling with Evans and Lee, for better or worse. Unless Dan Morgan decides he’s seen enough and makes a swing.