I've lost track of how many different offensive line combinations the Panthers have used this season. Injuries are part of it, but at some point you have to wonder how long Carolina can keep moving pieces around and hoping it works.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is an interesting name to consider.
Things haven't gone the way Powers-Johnson probably expected in Las Vegas. He was a second-round pick just two years ago, but he's already lost his spot in the starting lineup. If the Raiders are willing to move on this quickly, Carolina should at least find out what it would take.
I'm not looking at Powers-Johnson as some huge upgrade that suddenly fixes the offensive line. That's asking too much. What I like is that he's 23, he's played guard and center, and Carolina wouldn't be bringing in another veteran just to get through the next couple of months.
Especially after watching Bryce Young hit the ground six times against Green Bay.
There are reasons for Carolina to make the call.
There are also a few pretty good reasons to leave this one alone.
Powers-Johnson is a weird trade target. A year ago, I'm not sure the Raiders would've even listened. Now we're talking about whether a Day 3 pick could get it done.
He started 14 games as a rookie. Some came at left guard, others at center.
Losing his starting job bothers me. It should. I'd want to know why things changed so much from one season to the next before giving Las Vegas anything for him. But 14 starts as a rookie is enough for me to wonder if there's still something there.
There's no guarantee they can. That's why we're talking about a Day 3 pick instead of something much higher.
Maybe Carolina gets the rookie version of Powers-Johnson. If not, they move on and a late pick is gone. I can live with that.
I'd rather see the Panthers take that chance than keep moving the same pieces around up front.
This is where I get hung up. Trading for an offensive lineman sounds good right now. Trading for one who just lost his own starting job doesn't sound quite as good.
Powers-Johnson was playing right guard when the Raiders made a change. That's enough to make me wonder what Carolina would be getting. Maybe Las Vegas gave up on him too quickly. I'd still want an answer for why he isn't playing.
Then you have to figure out where he plays. Robert Hunt is at right guard. Powers-Johnson has experience at center, but he hasn't been playing there lately. If the Panthers trade for him, I'd want it to be because they have a spot in mind and not because they saw a former second-round pick available for cheap.
That's where I have a harder time talking myself into this one. Carolina doesn't need another offensive lineman to move around and figure out later.
They've done enough of that already.
For a Day 3 pick? Yeah, I would.
There's enough about Powers-Johnson that bothers me to understand why the Raiders might be ready to move on. I'm just not sure I'm ready to do the same with a 23-year-old offensive lineman who was starting games as a rookie.
I wouldn't get cute with the offer. If Las Vegas wants more than a late pick, they can keep him. Carolina has too many other things to fix to start throwing better picks at a player the Raiders just benched.
But a late pick is different. I'd send it and see if a new team can get something out of him.
If not, Dan Morgan moves on.
I think this one is worth finding out.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi as The Case For-and Against-the Panthers Trading for Jackson Powers-Johnson .
