Carolina Panthers: Could Joe Thomas be the answer?
The Carolina Panthers are trying to fix their roster. Should they look at trading for help on the offensive line?
The Carolina Panthers started off today by down-sizing their problematic secondary. They cut veteran Bene Benwikere and promoted rookie cornerback Zack Sanchez. Of course this is not the problem spot the Panthers have on their current roster. So what else could the Panthers do?
One place to look would be the offensive line. Michael Oher is still in the concussion protocol and may miss Monday’s showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even if he was healthy, there has been some criticism that the Panthers continue to use Oher and Mike Remmers as their starting tackles.
This criticism is interesting because it did not exist last year until the Super Bowl. The Panthers handled the Seahawks twice, the Cardinals, and other teams without it being a problem. It is only now that the Panthers are losing that it becomes an issue. The Panthers have faced two good pass rush units in the Broncos and the Vikings that it did not face in the regular season last year.
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So if believe that the Panthers are deficient at tackle or you are just wondering when Oher will return, it would make sense to make a move at improving the position. The trick is to find the right player at the right price.
The Panthers have made one such deal already this season when they brought in punter Andy Lee from the Cleveland Browns for a fourth pick and a younger punting prospect. For Cleveland, the saved money and the draft pick were more valuable than whatever extra field position Lee might have scrounged up.
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Now the Browns are the league’s sole winless team and missing Robert Griffin. It might be time to buzz the Browns again.
The target would be obvious. Veteran left tackle Joe Thomas has been a rock on a team without many rocks. He has been a consistent Pro Bowl performer. The Panthers are a team that could eat his remaining salary for this year and give him a new unit of players to block for.
Next: Panthers Release Benwikere
The problem would be price. The Panthers would likely have to send some sort of draft pick to get Thomas, and 1-3 makes them fairly desperate. If Cleveland got a 4th rounder for Lee the punter, wouldn’t Thomas be worth a second or third?