Earlier this week when Panthers coach Ron Rivera was asked about the team’s open roster spot and the NFL trade deadline, Rivera said that general manager Marty Hurney had a plan. The deadline has come and passed, the spot remains unfilled and if there is a plan they’re doing an exceptional job of hiding it.
Carolina was expected to make a move for a wide receiver after Adam Schefter reported the team was one of several in the market for one. The Patriots went out and got Mohamed Sanu from the Falcons. The 49ers traded for Emmanuel Sanders, who’s already paying big dividends. No matter – there were still other tantalizing options out there, especially Josh Gordon, who was put on waivers by the Patriots.
Apparently, Gordon wasn’t the plan, either. He has since been claimed by the Seahawks and according to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, no other team bothered to put in a claim for him, Panthers included. The Seahawks got another significant threat at wide receiver, boosting an already-efficient passing attack as well as their playoff chances.
So, New England, San Francisco and Seattle all went out and made aggressive moves to boost their wide receiver corps. Together, the teams are a combined 22-2 this season.
Meanwhile, Carolina (4-3) is supposed to be all in on 2019 and as we just learned on Sunday against the 49ers, this roster as presently constructed is not equipped to compete with elite teams. Given the context of where the team is and what its needs are, not even putting in a claim for Gordon makes very little sense.
What gives?
Perhaps the Panthers really did have a plan to trade for a name wide receiver at the deadline and the deal fell through, for whatever reason. Maybe Hurney called the Bengals about A.J. Green and just couldn’t get them to bite. We likely will never know.
Still, Carolina’s fans must be left wondering what exactly the plan is – and why the front office is not showing more urgency given its struggles offensively and the huge gap between them and this year’s Super Bowl contenders.
