The Carolina Panthers’ defense, as it is currently constructed, will be a lot better this year than it was in 2025. The biggest holes, primarily at linebacker and edge rusher, have been filled in free agency. However, it’s still not a perfect or complete unit.
The Panthers could still use another linebacker, another safety, and another cornerback. The draft will help with most of these issues, but the Panthers could trade some picks on draft night for impactful upgrades.
Panthers could trade for Patrick Queen or Renardo Green to patch defense further
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) drops into coverage against the Miami Dolphins | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Panthers seem to be aiming for a safety in the NFL draft. That makes it harder to find a good addition at both cornerback and linebacker. The draft class at linebacker is deep, but it’s hard to predict how things will go.
Fortunately, according to Bleacher Report insider Alex Kay, a good cornerback (Renardo Green) and linebacker (Patrick Queen) could very well be traded on draft night. Both would be solid additions to Carolina’s defense.
“General manager John Lynch has vehemently denied the Niners are shopping Green, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if teams still come calling with the hopes of landing a talented young corner who appears to have fallen out of favor in San Francisco,” Kay wrote.
Green is a solid coverage player who has broken up 23 passes in 31 games. There’s another cornerback that comes to mind who is also solid in coverage and breaks up a ton of passes: Panthers CB Mike Jackson.
Getting Green would give the Panthers some insurance for Jackson’s potential regression or exit in free agency. He would make a very solid CB2 beside Jaycee Horn, much like Jackson did.
Patrick Queen was pretty bad in 2025, but he’s a former Pro Bowl linebacker who could bounce back. He’d also be the secondary linebacker with less responsibility in Carolina, potentially freeing him up to play a little better.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen warms up for a game | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Queen also did pretty well in pass-rushing situations. He recorded a sack and 17 pressures, and the Panthers need pressure on the quarterback. When Ejiro Evero blitzed linebackers last year, they rarely ever got home. Adding a proven blitzer so that Devin Lloyd can continue to roam the middle might be good.
Of course, Queen struggled badly with missed tackles last year (a la Christian Rozeboom), and he has a $13.3 million salary, which complicates a potential trade to the Panthers, who are cash-strapped right now.
Still, Queen would be a better linebacker than Rozeboom was and might even be a better player than Trevin Wallace at this point, so it might be worth considering on draft night.