Carolina Panthers Stand Pat at Trade Deadline | Is Dan Morgan All-In On Long-Term VISION?

Carolina Panthers Stand Pat at Trade Deadline | Is Dan Morgan All-In On Long-Term VISION?

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. The Carolina Panthers stand pat at the trade deadline. And while that may be frustrating to some of you, I think they made the right decision. I’ll tell you why right here on Locked on Panthers. You are Locked On Panthers, your daily Panthers podcast, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Welcome in to another edition of the Lockdown Panthers podcast, a part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. I’m your host as always, Julian Council, talking Carolina Panthers with you every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and yes, of course, Friday, your team every day. That’s our motto here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Thanks for watching the show right here on YouTube and listening wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Today’s episode of Locked On Panthers is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. We’re back here once again on a Wednesday. And what do we do? Every single Wednesday throughout the entirety of the regular season, you send me in mailback questions by either adding me or DMing me over on Twitter, Julian Counsel, and also over on Blue Sky, Julian Counsel. Then I pick out the best questions and answer them here on the show. I’m going to do that a little bit later on. You guys have questions about Rico Dattle, of course, because Rico’s been awesome. And will he be back in Carolina in 2026? That’s really a conversation for February or March, but okay, we’ll have it briefly today. Bryce Young, some of you think he should be resigned. Others are asking, is he holding the offense back? And Ryan Fitzgerald, is he having the best rookie kicker season ever? Someone believes. We look at the numbers over the last 25 years and answer whether that is the case at all. But today on Tuesday was the NFL trade deadline as I’m recording this show for y’all right now. 400 p.m. Eastern time. The deadline came and went and the Panthers, not really surprisingly so, decided yet again that ah, we’re good. We’re going to sit back here with what we got, not make any moves, and just stick to the process, which I actually think is the right decision for Carolina. Now, that may upset you cuz there’s a lot of people right now rightfully so excited about where the team is at. Sitting at five and four. First time they’ve been in this position since 2019 back when Luke Keequley was still a Carolina Panther. Greg Olsen was still a Carolina Panther. Colin Jones, remember him? He was still here at that point in time as well. So, it’s been a while, y’all, since they’ve been nine games into a season. And there was real hopes and dreams alive of being a playoff team and playing meaningful football in December and dare I say January for your Panthers. So I totally get it. But this was not anything that wasn’t really expected when you saw a lot of reporting out there. I brought up Mike K of the Charlotte Observer. He had been reporting over the last couple weeks. Didn’t seem like they were going to make a move. I told you I spoke to somebody and they told me they were unsure of whether Carolina was going to make a move. that was not a yes or a no, but if they felt like they’re going to be active as far as buyers, then they would have said maybe more than they were unsure. Then I told y’all on the show yesterday when we talked about would the Panthers make a move, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com had reported on Sunday and using Carolina as an example how the NFL trade deadline maybe is just a tad bit too early for teams who are sitting there like Carolina heading into week nine at four and four and even if they were five and four, which of course they are four and five, they were in a spot where do they really need to add somebody? Is anyone going to materially change their season? and that he felt like the Panthers as a result of all the questions that they would have about where they actually are in this stage of the rebuild that they would probably stay in path this week, which of course has happened. Then Jonathan Jones, a reliable source, NFL insider for CBSports.com, former beat reporter for the Carolina Panthers or covering the Carolina Panthers for the Charlotte Observer. He put this out on Tuesday morning. Patience, patience, patience. and he said, “If you’re waiting on snakes and sparklers around the league, you may prepare yourself for the puppets in Carolina.” I don’t know what popets are. Do you know what those are? Cuz is that the the things that I guess that would make sense. The little things that kind of look like the uh the little ice cream pops that you just I don’t know. Uh I don’t get the sense. That’s what he’s saying. I don’t get the sense they’ll do anything. That is more than a late round pick swap for a player if they’ll do anything at all. The Panthers know they’re building something and I don’t get the sense they are under any illusions they are one player away from a deep playoff front. They will want to keep legitimate capital continue building through the draft. And even Dave Canal, Panther’s head coach, he spoke to the media on Monday. He brought up that the record being at five and four. That was not going to factor in to their decisions as far as what they were going to do at the deadline, which is very easy for him to say when you’re sitting at five and four instead of sitting at 1 and seven or like they were last year or sitting at seven and two like other teams across the league. When you’re in those spots, okay, yeah, let’s go for it. New England at 7-2. If you’re one and seven like the Jets, okay, yeah, let’s offload Quinnon Williams. Let’s offload Sauce Gardner. Let’s get a bunch of picks to rebuild once again. And because it’s the Jets, likely get it wrong once again as well. But the Panthers smack dab squarely in the middle of the NFL with still a tough schedule remaining in a spot where they’re more in evaluation mode in my opinion than actually let’s go out there and do something this season which they can absolutely do. I think that they are keenly aware of exactly where they’re at and they want to stick to that process which I think is why they made this decision and why I think it’s the right decision. If you look at the roster right now offensively with the offensive line, there’s questions about Icky’s contract, which he’ll be here next year, whether they give him an extension after the season or not, but he’s going to be back next year. Damen Lewis should be back next year. Kade Mays, I would guess, would be the favorite to be the starting center next season. We’ll see how that all plays out once he’s available. We’ll find out more about that on Wednesday when Dave speaks to the media in the official injury report for week 10 against New Orleans comes out. You look at Robert Hunt, he’ll be back next year. Then Taylor Motton got his extension. So offensive linewise, they’re in a good spot receiver, young players, but they feel good about what they have right now in McMillan, in Coker, and in Legget. And then tight end. I like the room that they have right now in running back. We’ll get to that here momentarily. They’re in a nice spot offensively. There’s just still questions about do you have the quarterback? Now, if a quarterback, a highlevel guy, a sure thing was available, then maybe that’s a trade that you make. But obviously, you don’t make those kind of trades typically in the NFL. Like, if you’re getting a quarterback, it’s because your guy got hurt and you need to go get a veteran to come in and to keep things afloat for the time being. That’s not the situation here in Carolina. They’re still trying to figure out in the final eight games who exactly Bryce Young is and who this team is with Bryce Young did defensively. They’ve looked good on the defensive line with Derrick Brown back. The additions that they made, what Bobby Brown the third and Turk Wharton, Aan Robinson coming back for another year. They still feeling figuring out what they have at lineback or Trevor Wallace, Christian Roseboom, probably a one-year rental. They’re pretty solid at corner. And then at safety, there’s questions after the season about Nick Scott and whether Leon Ransom steps in that spot. And then whatever happened to Demani Richardson. So you look at the roster outside linebacker. Yes, that’s an area where you would have thought that’s the spot. Man, look at what people are paying. Talked about it yesterday. The Eagles third round pick for Jaylen Phillips who’s had a torn ACL and an Achilles tear and is probably an 8week rental for Philadelphia. Maybe he sticks around because he’s been in the Vic Banjo defense before, but I don’t know. Are you trying to give up a third round pick for that kind of situation? I don’t think so. Especially when you have two young guys who you just drafted in princely Ellen and Nick Scorton who are going to get a lot of burn in the second half of this season have already gotten plenty of burn so far in the first nine weeks of the year plus with DJ won him. So I understood a lot of people wanting to get a pass rusher. I just didn’t believe that adding someone on the edge was going to materially change the season. I don’t think Jayen Phillips was going to do that. I don’t think that Germaine Johnson who’s staying in New York was going to do that. I don’t think Bradley Chub down in Miami was going to do that for them. And of course, they weren’t trading for Quinnon Williams because they already have a Quinnon Williams. And they weren’t trading for Sas Gardner because they already have a Sauce Gardner. So, they weren’t going to make any of those splashy moves and they did not want to part ways with some of the draft compensation. And looking at 2026, the Panthers have their first round pick, which is awesome because a couple years ago, they didn’t have their first round pick. The Bears trade, that’s over and done with. They have their own second round pick, their own third, their own fourth. Minnesota’s fifth based off the Adam Thelen trade, their own fifth, their own sixthrounder, and they don’t have a seventh round pick because that belongs to Minnesota because of the Adam Thelen trade. They’re in a good spot compensation wise. Are they having a bunch of stockpiled picks right now? No. But still, you look at it, at least you have your own picks. At least you can sit there, evaluate your team through the next eight weeks and then go into the season into the offseason and figure out what exactly you want to do. But at five and four, of course, have hope for the rest of the year, but stick to the plan. There was no reason for Carolina to make a move that was going to cost them some valuable draft compensation and then they end up going seven and 10 or eight and nine, which still is very likely and I think more likely than that they go out there and finish off 10 and seven and go to the playoffs. And I would I want them to go to the playoffs. Don’t get me wrong. I want to be covering a playoff team. I just still think that that’s more unlikely to happen than them missing out again. but just barely in making the progression that you and I and a lot of people expected and were hoping to make this year. Very few of you when I asked back in September at the beginning of the year on Labor Day, I very few of you I asked about what your expectations were telling me when a division go to the playoffs. Most of you want to see a competent football team, which check you have in a team get to eight or nine wins, which after beating Green Bay, beat the Saints on Sunday, beat them again down in New Orleans, beat Atlanta, that’s eight wins. And again, another box check to what your expectations were. So, to me, this was the right decision. No one they were going to add, unless Patrick Mahomes was suddenly available, was going to materially change their season this year. stick to the process and that’s what they’re doing. Good decision by Dan Morgan, Brandt Tillis, Dave Canalos, maybe even David Zepper for the Panthers to once again stand pat at the trade deadline. Now, will they stand Pat once the off season rolls around and they have a decision to make at running back when it comes to Rico Dowel? I feel like this is a conversation for February, but I guess we’ll have it here in November as Rico Mania is continuing here in Carolina. We’ll talk about that here in just a moment on Locked on Panthers. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers, and that could be you. $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. It’s that simple. Find a winner, get that $5 on them, $300 in bonus bets. Free money. So, head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Back here on Locked on Panthers. It’s Wednesday and what we do every Wednesday here throughout the regular season. You ask me questions by adding me or DMing me over on Twitter and Blue Sky. Then I pick out the best questions and answer them here on the show every single Wednesday throughout the regular season. The weekly Wednesday mailbag here on Locked on Panthers. First question comes over from Jacob who says, “I’m sure this question has been asked a lot, but in all caps with Rico continuing to do what he’s doing, do you think it’s going to be hard for Dan and Dave to let him walk after the season is over? I know you’re against paying running backs, but at this point in the season, it seems like Carolina could possibly have a decision to make.” And well, yes, they probably are going to have a decision to make because Rico continues to be outstanding. Jacob and all the other people who asked me about Rico Dowel and whether he’ll be back in Carolina next year. Now, I said a couple of weeks ago, in all likelihood, Rico would not be a Panther. As time goes on, feels like it gets closer and closer to maybe he will be a Panther, but I don’t know, man. It’s November 5th. I don’t give a damn about where whether Rico Dow is gonna be a Panther next season. They have eight more games. They are sitting here at five and four. Just focus on the season at hand in what he’s doing instead of worrying about is he going to be here in 2026. We could all be dead in 2026. Okay. So, like why are we worried about this? That’s what I this the one thing it’s like, okay, get it. Be excited about how well Rico’s playing, but it doesn’t have to be oh well, gotta pay Rico. I got to make sure he’s here. Just guys, guys, guys, just enjoy the moment. But fine, we’ll have a February conversation here in early November with eight weeks left in the season. The Panthers sitting at five and four for the first time since 2019 with realistic playoff hopes. We’ll have the conversation because everyone keeps asking me about it and we don’t really need to keep doing this every single week. But let’s go ahead and do it. Now, looking at Rico, since week five, he is leading the NFL in rushing. He’s been great. And if you just take away the since week five thing, look at since week one, he’s third overall in the National Football League in rushing yards with 735 yards. He’s second during that time span in the NFL in EPA per rush among running backs with at least 100 carries only behind Jonathan Taylor who has been outstanding up in Indianapolis this year. He is fourth in yours after contact. He’s second in explosive rush percentage which means runs of over 12 yards. He’s fourth in rushing successful play rate and third in successful play percentage on run plays. He has been a top five back in the National Football League since week one of the season. And he’s probably been a top two or three back, maybe the best back since week five of this year as well. The dude has been outstanding. And because he’s played that well, he’s earning a lot of money and likely going to earn more in the final eight weeks of the season. The Panthers only signed Rico to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. puts exactly the amount of money you pay a running back. It’s not federal minimum wage. So, he’s getting overpaid in my book. Not really, guys. It’s all a joke, so relax. Uh, but $2.75 million, that makes sense for a running back in this day and age with an additional $3.5 million in performance incentives available to him. He’s already earned a half million for going over 800 yards from scrimmage. He’s 83 yards away from another half a mill and 950 yards from scrimmage. He’ll need 400 more yards after that to earn $1.5 million and get to 1350 yards from scrimmage. Like he’s going to get there probably in like four weeks the way that he’s playing so far this season. He needs three more touchdowns for another half million dollars. So, at the very least, as long as Rico is able to stay healthy, which please God, because the offense is so bad if he’s not out there because they can’t throw the ball, and we’ll get to that momentarily, he’s going to get $3 million at least. Now, it comes in to the Pro Bowl voters, and I think that includes you guys, to get him another half million dollars and for him to check every single box there on an incentive laden contract. And when you have someone do that, it’s hard to say, “Yeah, we don’t need this guy around.” Here’s the problem. Here’s the rub. You got real excited about what Chuba Hubard was doing in the locker room as a leader, as a culture setter, and just the respect everyone had. And then on the field, he was on his way to having a career year. And around this time a year ago, while they were about to head to Germany to go face off against the Giants in a a magical day, I’ll never forget what a week that was out there in Bavaria, um they decided to give Chuba Hubard a fouryear $33 million contract that could go up to $37 million if he hit incentives. Now, when you hear that, it’s not really four years $33 million. And I know I brought this up plenty of times that it’s a four-year contract, $33 million. He was probably unlikely to ever see all that money. And certainly the way that Rico’s playing, the way Chuba has played so far this season, he ain’t going to see that money. Okay? So, it’s really a two-year deal worth whatever was guaranteed, which is about $15 million. And if you look at next season, if they are going to keep Rico, which kind of feels like at this point in time they probably should, even though it’s been three starts and there’s still eight more games left to go, let’s let things play out. But I I don’t really anticipate him slowing down. But if he does slow down, then do you really need to bring him back? That’s the one thing I was talking about. These are why this is why I’m saying it’s a February conversation. Let the season play out and see how things happen. Because again, knock on wood, let them let him stay healthy. But if something happens, you know what I’m saying? So looking at Chuba, if the Panthers cut him, they would lose $1.5 million against salary cap according to overthecap.com. and it also take on a nine million dollar dead cap hit. So cutting him not really an option for next year. I also don’t think it’s much of an option to have Rico D, Chuba Hubard, Jonathan Brooks, and Trevor Eatian all on the roster next year. We have no idea what Jonathan Brooks is going to give the Panthers and what he could potentially do next season and beyond. Like that is a big mystery in a running back room. Trevor Eaton, I think, has actually been impressive when he’s gotten opportunities to run the ball this year and he’s improved as a returner over the last couple of weeks. So, he’s going to be a factor as your third running back or maybe your backup depending on how things play out. Now, the Panthers could trade Chubo. And if they do that, I’m guessing they’re going have to eat some of that salary remaining as he has $4.5 million guaranteed next year and a 5.645 million base salary. I don’t think a team that’s acquiring him is trying to take on $4 and half million dollars for a guy who lost his job halfway through the season before. That’s just my guess. And if they do trade him, they could save just under $3 million against salary cap and then take on $4.5 million of dead money, which is far more palatable than losing a million and a half and then the $9 million dead cap hit. So, if they’re bringing back Rico, it does not need to be on a four-year $33 million contract because we just saw what happened the last time they did that and how they got a guy who on the cheap came in and outperformed that dude and is why I think paying running backs is ridiculous. They would then neither move off of Chuba, trade him away, probably have to give up some assets there, maybe take on the bulk of the salary to do so, and then you give Rico another, in my opinion, incentive deal. You get him like a $4.5 billion contract and then you say, “If you do all this again, then you can make up the 10 mil.” Like, that’s what it should be. It should not be, let’s go ahead and give this guy a bunch of guaranteed money when he could be just like Chuba and get outperformed. And hopefully that’s not what happens. But for me right now, I just want to see the season play out. I want to see him continue to play well and really make it to a point where Carolina has no choice but to bring him back. And if they’re bringing him back, they’ve got to find a way to get out of that contract of Chuba and move off of him likely via trade if there’s any team in the league that’s interested in taking on Chuba Hubard who’s a nice player but never really been like a top back in the NFL. So there’s the whole Rico Cheel Hubard situation and everything y’all keep asking me about. He’s got to stay. Let’s see. Let’s see how the next eight weeks play out. And let’s also understand that Chubas $4 billion guaranteed next year. And they drafted Trevor Etian and Jonathan Brooks the last two years. They value running backs in Carolina. So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both Rico and Trouba are back here once again next season in the same back field. Will they be sharing carries though? Because that didn’t really work out the two weeks that they did that. And if Rico’s running like this and Chuba’s running the way that he’s run this season so far, maybe he’s out of gas. Why would you want both of those guys to be back next season? We have two younger guys on the cheap who at least one of them in ETN looks like he’s got some juice to him. So there’s the conversation that everyone wants to have about will Rico be back next year. We will see. So we’ll focus on the rest of the season enjoying it and then once I guess January rolls around, really February, we can dive into the numbers throughout the season and whether it does actually make sense for Carolina to retain a running back and pay another one yet again, which oh my god. Uh but yeah, there we go. Sean, is he holding the offense back or is it time to pay him? Two people asking two different questions. We’ll answer that here in just a moment on Locked on Panthers. Nobody likes paying rent, but if you must, you might as well get something for it. That’s where Built comes in. Built is changing the game by turning your rent payments into real rewards you can actually use. When you pay rent through Built, you earn flexible points that can be redeemed towards hundreds of hotels and airlines, a future rent payment, your next lift ride, and so much more. But Built isn’t just about rent. It’s about rewarding you around your entire neighborhood. I love that. Built, your rent finally works with you. You’re earning points every month on something you already have to pay. Whether you’re grabbing food at your favorite local restaurant or heading to the gym, you’re still earning rewards. Built can make everyday life feel even more rewarding. From your neighborhood to your travel plans, turn your rent into rewards and start earning points around your neighborhood by going to join.com/lockdown NFL. That’s ji nbt.comlockdown NFL. Make sure to use that link so they know we sent you. A few more questions here on the weekly Wednesday mailbag. And I’m sure there’s people right now being like, “Oh my god, this guy is such a Rico D hater.” I’m not a Rico D hater. The guy’s playing really well. I said to y’all that I had no problem with the rotation because, yeah, CH was really good last year. Dave has a ton of experience with him. Of course, they’re going to give the guy that they gave all that money to an opportunity to go out there and to be a part of the game plan moving forward. He didn’t do it. And once he hadn’t done it, I said to y’all, it makes way more sense that Rico would be the guy getting the lion share of the cares carries and not be in a situation like against Buffalo where he had less carries than Schuba. Like that didn’t make any sense. It’s been awesome seeing Rico, a North Carolina guy like me having success out there on the field unlike me because I I’ve never done that. Can’t do it. I’m happy for it. I’m happy that he has been the offense because Lord knows if they didn’t have Rico they would not be five and four. Uh I’m happy about the situation. I just don’t feel like at this point in time we really need to be focusing on will he be on the team next year. Enjoy the season. Like that’s all I’m trying to say. We don’t need to get into the contract stuff. we can just focus on, damn, this guy’s been a top five back since the beginning of the season. And over the last month, he’s been maybe the best running back in the NFL and he’s a Carolina Panther and he’s going to be a big part of their playoff push. And if they get there, then yeah, I think it’s going to probably take care of itself even if I rightfully believe because you saw what happened last year, uh, maybe don’t pay a running back because another guy can come in on the cheap and outperform him and be a top five back. So, not a Rico Do hater for all the people who are probably yelling at me being like, “This guy just hates Rico.” No, I just hate paying running backs. I think it’s fine. Good for the running backs to get paid. I’m for I’m supposedly like I’m for guys getting paid, but also it’s kind of like come on guys. Do we really need to pay that position any money? Uh, speaking of paying guys, uh, Bryce Young, Adam and Jay have two separate questions on opposite ends of the continuum. Adam asking me, I know Bryce Shung still has another year left on his rookie deal, but is there a way to go ahead and extend him now or after the season? I feel like he’s shown enough to be the guy long term and the draft and free agency is too much of a gamble to try and get a guy there. He probably won’t be too expensive either. Thoughts? Okay, Adam. Then Jake asked me, is Bryce Young holding back the offense from truly being explosive or is it the receiving core not as good as we hoped it would be this season? seems the only option he has right now is McMillan and there’s no clear number two wide receiver option. So, very different things. Is Bryce holding back the offense to hey, is it time to pay Bryce Young? Um, let me try to answer this. No, it’s not time to pay Bryce Young. No, like with Rico D, eight more games left in the season. Let’s evaluate the next eight games and then come to a decision. Now, based off of what we’ve seen so far this year in the eight games that Bryce has started and played in, definitely not like there’s a bigger and you know, Rico’s expiring contract. So, obviously there’s going to be more of a reason to pay him this off seasonason because if you don’t, he won’t be on the team next year. But I would see I understand the case for Rico D. I don’t understand the case for Price Young because yes, he has one more year left on this deal. The real decision they have to make after the season in my opinion and just based off of how they have handled things recently is whether to exercise his fifth year option. I felt like going into the season that Bryce would play well enough and just where they’re at right now with this process and this rebuild of year two of Dan and Dave and Bryce with them as their quarterback that they’d want to give him at least another year. And then when you look around the league, our old buddy Sam Darnold, horrible situation New York, not a much better situation down here in Carolina. Sat for a year in San Francisco and learn was awesome last year in Minnesota. Even better now in Seattle. Like good for Sam. I was never a believer. Still kind of not, but happy for the guy that he’s out there balling cuz kind of hard to look at him right now and think that, okay, that guy’s not a stud. He absolutely has been the last two years. of course. So, it took him a while to get there. So, maybe we should be a little bit more patient with some of these guys instead of just saying after three years, okay, move on. After four years, okay, move on. Maybe it makes the most sense, even if Bryce continues to not throw for 200 yards and they win those games, maybe it makes more sense to give him the fifth year option and see this thing through for two more years, especially if the run game looks the way it does with or without Rico. And if the defense is improving like it has and it will get even better with some of the young guys at the edge rusher spot, why not keep seeing how it plays out until it gets to a point where very clearly Bryce Young is holding back the offense. Like right now when you look at the numbers, he’s been a bottom quarterback in the NFL among all the starters. We’re looking at starting quarterbacks so far this season. Guys who have started games in the NFL who have at least 100 pass attempts. That’s 35 35 quarterbacks. He’s 32nd in EPA per drop back. He’s 25th in EPA per play. So, the scramble yards, that helps. He’s 22nd in successful offensive play percentage. He’s 31st in explosive pass play percentage. That’s passes 16 yards and more. He’s 33rd in yards per attempt and 30th in passer rating out of 35 guys in those categories, y’all. So, Adam, does that sound like a guy you need to extend after the season? No. Is it a guy that you could potentially give the fifth year option to? Yeah, but those numbers, and that’s production, guys. You can’t really argue against production because we’re sitting there and watching it every single Sunday where it’s like, oh, there’s something missing in the passing game. And is it the quarterback? Is it the receivers? I’m right now leaning on the quarterback, but maybe it is the receivers. T-Mac’s been good. Xavier has had his ups and downs. Jaylen has really only been out there for a couple of weeks and he’s probably not where he’s going to be as things move on the rest of the season. Haven’t gotten a lot of JT Sanders so far this year. So, have they held up to their end of the bargain? Not really. So, maybe it’s more the receivers, maybe it’s both. All I know is the numbers are telling me that Bryce hasn’t been that great. But when you look at when it matters most, like against Miami, like against Dallas, like on Sunday against Green Bay, he gets a team down the field and sets him up to win a game. And he did it last year on numerous occasions against Philadelphia where XL dropped the game-winning touchdown and against Tampa Bay where it looked like they had won the game and even against Kansas City. So, he’s shown the ability that he may not give you a lot in the first, second, or third quarter, but when you really need him there in the fourth quarter, and sometimes in overtime, he can get you down the field for a game-winning drive. And if you go back to 2023 when he entered the league, he has nine game-winning drives, which is the most in the NFL tied with Patrick Mahomes. Yes, that Patrick Mahomes, Gino Smith, and Jaylen Herz. Now, he’s not Patrick Mahomes. We know that. Can he be Jaylen Herz? because there’s still plenty of conversation about how good really is Jaylen. Gino Smith’s been awful this year, but Gina was playing well in Seattle. Can you beat Jaylen Herz for this offense? Hopefully, it doesn’t get to a point where you got your receivers acting like AJ Brown and bad as hell. Um, but can you just be that? Can you do your job? Be your 111th in this offense because right now, yeah, it kind of feels like he’s holding him back. But as far as other options, and I’m at the point sitting here through nine games this season, eight Bryce Young starts to where yeah, of course he be the starter again next year. And I’m interested in the in the fifth year option and letting things play out because I think that patience should be given, especially when his rookie year is basically thrown away and then he got benched early last year. He hasn’t gotten one full season of where things aren’t completely effed up beyond repair to where he can be the guy. It’s finally happening this year. So, wouldn’t you want another year of that? Maybe another two years of that. And you look at the quarterback big board that Mel Kyber Jr. has right now. His top quarterback’s Dante Moore in Oregon. Seems some reporting that the kid’s probably not coming out this year. Maybe he does. Uh then it’s Fernando Mendoza from Indiana. Uh I like Mendoza, but he doesn’t excite me that much. Ty Simpson from Alabama. This is the only time he’s ever started. He has more years of eligibility. I would think that go back to college and keep balling and get more experience. Lenor Sellers is number four. I I watch every South Carolina game. I’m marrying a Gamecock. All my buddies went down there. I’ve never understood the Sellers hype as far as being a top tier quarterback in this upcoming draft. So, I don’t get that. John Matir, uh, no. He should go back to school. Carson Beck, no. Uh, Sam Levit, also should go back to school. Brennan Sorsby from Cincinnati, what? Trinidad Chamblas, I like him, but okay. Garrett Nusmire, I’m not seeing it this year. He’s been banged up. So, you look at the quarterbacks, and the Jets are a team that acquired a ton of draft picks on Tuesday at the deadline. They should probably wait till 2027 because I don’t see anybody on that list unless Dante Moore who started a little bit at or at uh UCLA as a freshman under Chip Kelly then sat out last year as a backup to Dylan Gabriel in Oregon. Now starting look pretty good that all Oregon offense kind of slowed down recently unless he’s coming out like but you’re not going to be in that position to get him. So yeah, I don’t think they need to extend Bryce at this point in time. fifth year option. We can talk about it once we get there. And that’s an April conversation because they don’t have to make that decision until May, which we got a while to go until we get there. Is he holding him back? Partially yes, partially no, partially. Let’s wait and see. As they still have 49ers, the Rams, the Bucks twice, and Seattle, and those quarterbacks, they’re playing pretty damn well. See how he stacks up against those teams and how the passing game looks once we get there. Uh Sam has a question asking, “Where would you rank this among wins as far as a win on Sunday against Green Bay since you started covering the team?” Well, since I’ve started covering the team, the Carolina Panthers are 23, sorry, 24 and 53. So, there have only been 24 wins to look at. And aside from the one on Sunday, the biggest one I can think of since I’ve been covering the team since beginning of 2021 is the 2022 win against the Lions where they had 570 yards total offense, a franchise record that day. They ran all over the Lions who were redhot at that point in time and that set up a de facto NFC South title game the next week at Tampa. I feel like that’s the biggest win that I’ve seen. The one against Seattle a couple weeks prior to that getting back-to-back wins, winning on the road for the first time in a long time was also big with the Lions game. I think that has to be the biggest win as far as and I asked people this on Sunday on Twitter at Julian Council. I asked him this is the biggest win since when? I think it’s the biggest win since 2017 against Minnesota. That was a 10-2 Vikings team coming to Bank America Stadium to play a 8-4 Panther team who had just lost to the Saints and they won that game. We remember Cam juking the hell out of whoever that safety was. That long run, that stadium going insane the last time the Panthers went to the playoffs and that really had you feeling, okay, this is going to be a playoff team this year. They got a big win against a team that ended up going 13 and three and playing in the NFC title game. So, I think it’s the biggest win since then. Now, people said the biggest win since the Packers game the next week. That was a seven-6 Packers team. It was a great win. It got Carolina to 10 and four. I think the week prior against Minnesota was a bigger win. So, biggest win in eight years, biggest win aside from the Lions won in 2022 as far as since I’ve been hosting this podcast, which dates back to the end of March of 2021. Alex now has a question. Final question, by the way. I’m not sure what the majority of rookie kicker seasons stats look like, but Ryan Fitzgerald has to be having one of the better rookie seasons I’ve ever seen. I get Rico has been the story, but do you think the success of Ryan Fitzgerald this season is something that should be talked about more? I mean, the guy doesn’t miss outside of 30 mile wins and has been extremely clutch. He has been clutch. He’s had a couple of game-winning kicks so far this season. Now, he has missed a couple of kicks, missed an extra point there. New England missed field goal right at the end of the half uh against Buffalo where it was rushed but still got to make that one and I think there’s another miss in there. All around though he’s been really good. There’s been far fewer downs than there have been ups. There’s been a lot of ups so far this year. Now I did look at some of the numbers looking over at True Media. I toggled it to where I looked at every rookie kicker dating back to the 2000 season. So the last 25 years through nine weeks just to see where they were. There’s a field goal kicker EPA stat, which there’s a stat for everything nowadays. He is ninth. Ryan Fitzgerald is out of the 93 kickers from 2000 to right now in field goal kicker EPA. That’s counting extra points and field goals. Now, I have to understand extra point has changed. It’s moved back during that period of time, but still 14.9 expected points added. That’s what he has so far this year through nine weeks as a rookie. That’s actually ahead of Brandon Aubrey, who may be the best kicker in the league right now down there in Dallas who had a 14.8 EPA. And just behind Harrison Bucker, who ended up in Kansas City after not winning a job in Carolina, he’s at 15.2. Justin Tucker, Hall of Famer, was at 15.3. Joey Sly is actually fifth, and of course, he was here in Carolina, had a 16.6 EPA. The top four guys were Greg Zerline, Legatron, who may actually end up being a Hall of Famer as well. I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting a little too ahead of myself. Jake Elliott who was massive for the Eagles that year as a rookie. Will Riker last year for the Vikings and Blake Rupy down in New Orleans. So top 10 out of 93 rookies since 2020 or 2000 I rather. Like that’s pretty good. So is he having the best rookie kicker season ever? No. Maybe the best one you’ve ever seen, but apparently not. I don’t know how long you’ve been watching the team. Sounds like Joey Slyaxi had a better start. But either way, he’s been good and yes, he has been a nice story here in Carolina to start off the season as well. That’s going to wrap up this edition of the Lockdown Panthers podcast, part of Lockdown Podcast Network host, Julie Julian Counsel. Again, y’all subscribe, follow show free over on YouTube or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast and be sure to follow me, Julian Counsel over on Twitter and Blue Sky, Julian Counsel, where next Wednesday I’ll be back answering your weekly Wednesday mailbag questions. All you got to do is at me or DM me over on Twitter to get those questions in or over on Blue Sky also at Julian Council to get those questions in for next week’s show. In the meantime, be safe, be happy, be whole. As always, keep pounding. We’ll be back tomorrow for the Locked On NFL Crossover Thursday presented by Price Picks with Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints.

Carolina Panthers stick to their blueprint at the NFL trade deadline, sparking debate among fans about whether standing pat was the right call for a playoff push. Julian Council weighs in on why keeping valuable draft capital trumps splashy moves, spotlighting Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ long-term vision as the Panthers sit at 5–4. Questions swirl around potential offensive upgrades and whether a “one player away” mentality truly applies in Charlotte.

Rico Dowdle’s star turn as a top NFL running back raises tough contract questions—should Carolina pay up or trust their stable of backs, including Chuba Hubbard and rookie Trevor Etienne? Plus, Bryce Young’s role as franchise quarterback faces scrutiny—has he earned a future extension, or is he holding the offense back? Council analyzes rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald’s impact, the significance of the Panthers’ win over the Packers, and what fans should expect on their road to January football.

Timestamps:
0:00 Panthers Stand Pat at Trade Deadline
12:41 Should the Panthers extend Rico Dowdle after the season?
23:59 Is Bryce Young holding back the offense?
34:20 The Packers win was the biggest win since….?
36:15 Is Ryan Fitzgerald having the best rookie kicker season in franchise history?

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

BILT

Turn your rent into rewards and start earning points around your neighborhood by going to https://joinbilt.com/lockedonnfl.

Supply House

Join the free TradeMaster program today and score serious perks like priority shipping, lower prices, and a dedicated support line. Visit https://SupplyHouse.com to sign up for free and use promo code SHNFL5 for 5% off your first order.

Peloton

Let yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com.

PrizePicks

Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.

Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL

Gametime

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel

Right now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCarolinaPanthers?sid=YouTube

Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL