The Carolina Panthers sat out Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline entirely. General manager Dan Morgan didn’t trade anyone away, and the team didn’t add anyone either, even with the team sitting at 3-5 entering Week 10.

At first glance, that might seem like a strange approach for a team riding a three-game losing streak. However, the Panthers still believe they are in playoff contention, and for good reason. Despite the losing record, Carolina sits atop the NFC South standings.

Outside of the cap constraints, the Panthers also stayed quiet because they were hoping to get key reinforcements back on both sides of the ball, which could change the equation for this team in the near future.

“It’s getting very exciting with some of the guys that are close. And those are the conversations we’re having as we have these days to evaluate them,” head coach Dave Canales said. “We’re talking about Jaycee [Horn], Mike [Jackson], we’re talking about Jonathon Brooks. [They are] all going through their processes to see when they’re ready to come back. Xavier [Legette], another one. So I’m excited for where they are. We got to take in these next two days to see what that’s going to look like going into the weekend.”

Three of those decisions are now expected to be made official. The Panthers are expected to open the 21-day practice windows for wide receiver Xavier Legette, running back Jonathan Brooks, and cornerback Mike Jackson, according to ESPN’s Mike Kaye.

Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks bring speed back to the Carolina Panthers’ offense

Before getting to the new news, it’s worth noting that Carolina opened the 21-day practice window for offensive lineman Brady Christensen last week as well. The Panthers have not activated him to the 53-man roster yet. That decision could come this week ahead of Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, which would give Carolina another option to consider playing up-front.

As for Legette (knee) and Brooks (groin), the first step is getting them back on the practice field and seeing what kind of football shape they’re in. There’s a world in which both players return on Sunday, but there’s also a chance the Panthers are cautious with their return. That’s why they have 21 days to work with. Still, the two returns will eventually add speed to two different phases of the offense.

Legette is a downfield field stretcher. We saw what he can bring on the play that injured his knee back in Week 2, when he hauled in a 50+ yard reception before halftime against the Atlanta Falcons. Carolina has been missing that element on offense. Part of that is due to the pass protection, but part of it is not having that true field stretcher. Legette can offer that and help get this unit back to being one of the top downfield passing offenses alongside quarterback Bryce Young and wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

Meanwhile, Chuba Hubbard has been worked like a horse in the running game over the last couple of weeks, both in touches per game and in overall playing time. The Panthers have elected not to use AJ Dillon to split the load, making him a healthy scratch for the last few weeks. Trevor Etienne and Tre Tyus have also been options, but neither has received much work in the backfield either. So it’s been Hubbard eating all the carries.

Getting Brooks back is going to be huge. The Panthers had high hopes for him going into the season because of the dynamic ability he brings. Brooks can help split that workload as the change-of-pace back, providing speed on outside runs while Hubbard serves as the consistent force who wears a defense down on the inside. That was the plan for this offense all along before a groin injury knocked Brooks out of action.

Mike Jackson’s eventual return helps a decimated cornerback room

On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers have been short at cornerback. Last week, Carolina started two practice squad call-ups in Marco Wilson and Corey Thornton, with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Akayleb Evans, and Will Lee III all out due to injury.

Now, at least, Jackson is ramping back up. The veteran led the NFL in pass deflections last season, and his return should help stabilize a room that injuries have gutted. Again though, there’s no guarantee he’s quickly activated just because he’s back at practice and it could be up to three weeks until he’s actually able to play. Jackson himself said his target window for his return is Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Still, getting a veteran like Jackson back is a big deal in practice to help the younger players. The more immediate hope at cornerback for Sunday is that Lee can also ramp back up this week after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury.

The Panthers have roster decisions ahead to bring these four players back

With Legette, Brooks, and Jackson back at practice, plus Christensen, this team is getting healthier at the right time. That explains the lack of action at the trade deadline. The Panthers are really high on all four players and excited to have them back.

That being said, Carolina will have to make roster moves to clear space once these players are ready to be activated to the 53-man roster. The Panthers freed up one spot by releasing veteran wide receiver David Moore, who is expected to be brought back onto the practice squad. That opened up one spot, likely for Christensen.

At least three more moves will have to come over the next few weeks. We’ll see which moves end up getting made to bring Legette, Brooks, and Jackson back onto the roster. And time will tell whether these reinforcements are enough to snap this losing streak and keep Carolina on top of the NFC South.