Panthers Pro Bowl Star Could be 'Expensive' Trade Target

The Carolina Panthers are 3-4 before getting set to play the 6-2 Denver Broncos on Sunday, two days before the trade deadline on Tuesday.

One might think the Panthers would be closer to selling than buying this year, but they actually lead the NFC South despite having a losing record.

Will the Panthers make a big move before Tuesday?

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that defensive tackles are the big movers in this year's trade market. The San Francisco 49ers traded with the Indianapolis Colts last week to bring back DeForest Buckner. The Chicago Bears traded with the Tennessee Titans for Jeffery Simmons, and he made a huge impact in the Bears' win over the Seattle Seahawks on "Monday Night Football."

Breer thinks a "pie-in-the-sky" type of trade might include Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown. He claims that the Panthers are not "actively" trying to shop the defensive tackle, so any trade for Brown would come at a steep price in Carolina's favor.

Brown, 28, has 28 tackles and five passes defended this season. He had a monster 2025 campaign, recording 73 tackles, a career-high five sacks, and one forced fumble. He has no sacks through seven games this season, which is unusual for the No. 7 pick by Carolina in the 2020 draft. 

Brown signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Panthers in 2024.

It’s unclear why the Panthers would have any interest in trading for Brown at this point in the season. The defense needs all the talent they have to compete in the NFC South. The problems with the defense, especially with an injured secondary, have been well documented and led to the in-season firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

Again, Carolina isn't actively shopping Brown, but the fact Breer included him in his trade deadline watch piece is interesting.

The Panthers could be 3-5 before the trade deadline on Tuesday depending on how they play the Broncos. But Carolina has two winnable games coming up in the next two weeks. The Panthers will travel to play the 2-5 New Orleans Saints on Nov. 15 before hosting the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens (who were just blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday amid quarterback Lamar Jackson's injury) on Nov. 22.

There's no reason for Carolina to give up on its season. Brown is a player that still has years to give the Panthers if they believe they can remain competitive in the next few sea