The Carolina Panthers and Tony Pollard could be a great fit.
Pollard isn’t available at the moment, of course — he plays for the Tennessee Titans. But he was one of the players that ESPN’s Adam Schefter floated Sunday morning as a potential trade chip as the league’s deadline approaches next month.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to be floated as an option.
Panthers’ Tony Pollard Trade Rumor
ESPN beat writer Mike Kaye hopped on the Schefter report with this post on X:
Tony Pollard would be fun, given that the #Panthers looked into Austin Ekeler and used Jonathon Brooks as a passing-down asset. Carolina has an extra seventh-round pick in 2027 (and two fourths but no fifth).
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) October 4, 2026
As Kaye mentions, the Panthers had looked into the free agent RB Austin Ekeler. Ekeler came to Carolina for a workout, but he then signed with the Washington Commanders instead.
Kaye also pointed out earlier this season that the Panthers could make sense to sign Kareem Hunt, although Hunt hasn’t worked out anywhere this season as far as has been reported.
After two trades last week, here are more names to monitor ahead of next month’s #NFL trade deadline. https://t.co/i9XdEC0oPQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 4, 2026
The Panthers aren’t in massive need of a running back while Chuba Hubbard is healthy, but they also are lacking depth for as long as Jonathon Brooks is on IR with a core muscle injury.
The idea of bringing in another veteran, particularly one who is effective on passing downs, could make plenty of sense.
Tony Pollard Stats
Tony Pollard was a fourth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Cowboys. That included a Pro Bowl nod in the 2022 season when he ran for 1,007 yards and had another 39 catches for 371 yards.
He then ran for another 1,005 yards with the Cowboys in 2023.
Pollard joined the Titans for the 2024 season. He ran for 1,079 yards in his first year with Tennessee and another 1,082 in 2025.
This season so far, Pollard has 173 rushing yards and six catches for 22 yards.
In his NFL career, Pollard has run 1,302 times for 5,955 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and 33 touchdowns. He also has 256 catches for 1,785 yards and five more TDs.
Pollard is 29 years old, so he’s moving toward the tail end of his career, at least based on historical data on RBs. But he still likely has a bit of juice left, especially if he gets to be used in a part-time role alongside Hubbard.
It likely wouldn’t cost Carolina much. If they’re in contention for the division in a few weeks, it would make sense to add some running back depth to help their cause.
Panthers Linked to Trade for 5955-Yard Pro Bowl RB