6 Panthers LA Rams should trade for not named Christian McCaffrey

Panther punter and more

The Panthers have struggled on offense, even more than the LA Rams, so I wouldn’t be too eager to load up the Rams roster with offensive-skill players.  But the wise shopping team may emerge with enough key pieces from the Panthers with enough roster pieces to retool a competitor for the 2022 NFL season while exchanging enough draft assets to help the team jumpstart their interest in rebuilding in 2023.

P Johnny Hekker would be the first player to ask about acquiring. While LA Rams punter Riley Dixon is almost at the same gross punting average as Hekker, Hekker’s hangtime and ability to punt the football quickly gives Hekker the clear nod over Dixon. Hekker has not had a punt blocked this season, while Rams punter Riley Dixon has already had two punts blocked.  What would it take? I’d say swapping punters plus a 2024-or-beyond seventh-round pick ought to do the trick.

What about Hubbard?

RB Chubba Hubbard is another player who, while in a skilled position, could come in and help the LA Rams offense immediately. At 6-foot-1 and 210-pounds, he is a young powerful rusher who filled in rather nicely as McCaffrey has struggled to stay on the football field over the past several seasons. With McCaffrey back as the starting RB, Hubbard has gotten little work so far this season.  Forget the overpriced McCaffrey, the real value in the Carolina Panthers backfield is Chubba Hubbard.

DE Brian Burns is likely a player who the Panthers have no interest in trading for picks. But he could very well be worth the effort. Compared to Leonard Floyd in his draft profile, Burns has absolutely delivered so far for the Carolina Panthers already, averaging better than eight quarterback sacks and 44 tackles per season in just his first three years. He is in the last year of his rookie contract, but the Panthers exercised his fifth-year option at a price of over $16 million next season.

The cover charge to even get the Panthers talking about trading away Burns will involve multiple draft picks, and at least one first-rounder. That’s a high price to pay for a player with just 1.6 seasons remaining under contract. But if the Rams want a quick fix for the pass rush, Burns may be their guy.