While the Carolina Panthers fired their defensive coordinator this past week, it does not take the spotlight away from the offense being disappointing as well. The offensive line has not progressed the way they anticipated, and they could have to go out and explore a trade. One name to watch for is Austin Jackson of the Miami Dolphins, according to Tim Weaver of PanthersWire.
Weaver notes that adding Jackson could improve the left and right tackle positions.
“The NFL trade deadline is coming up in a week, though—and with it, there might be some tackles hitting on the market,” wrote Weaver. “The Panthers wouldn’t have to aim too high here given their situation, either.”
Weaver notes that the Panthers can flip Monroe Freeling from right tackle to left tackle. Freeling would replace Rasheed Walker, which is an upgrade on paper. However, because Freeling is more natural on the left side than the right, adding Jackson would upgrade right tackle as well.
“Moving Freeling over to left tackle does open up a hole on the other side—and at the moment, the most logical candidate to fill that void would be Stone Forsythe,” added Weaver. “That’s about as far from an ideal solution as it gets, and Forsythe is, at best, a below-average backup and can’t be relied on to start.”
If they add Jackson, they do not have to debate Forsythe against Walker.
Carolina Panthers Could Trade Miami Dolphins for Right Tackle Austin Jackson
Jackson is a former first-round pick, going 18th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has developed into a capable starter, and he has been on and off as a starter for seven seasons. Jackson started his career at left tackle for two seasons, then shifted to right tackle, where he has held it down.
Overall, Jackson has 67 career starts, which include seven starts this season. Jackson signed a one-year, $7M extension with Miami to stay with the team this year.
However, he is healthy and playing well, while Miami is 1-6. So, this could be the year when he cashes in on free agency with another team. If Miami is going to lose him this offseason, a trade makes sense.
Panthers Need Offensive Line Help
The plan was for the Panthers to start Walker and Taylor Moton and then bring in Freeling slowly as a developmental draft pick. However, Moton has been hurt most of the season, and Walker has been a disaster.
So, the question has been whether the team should play Freeling on the right or left side, rather than whether he should be playing at all.
Freeling spent more time on the left side at left tackle. Because they do not have a good option opposite of him, they might as well focus on his development on the left side. This makes a trade for Jackson make a lot of sense.
Panthers Urged to Fix OL With Trade for Former 1st-Rounder