The Carolina Panthers aren't a team being talked about a ton heading toward the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
Despite that, they're in the position to be a sneaky buyer. The NFC South Division is again there for the taking, and the Panthers' roster has some needs that would be logical to fill while they still can.
And with less than a week until the deadline, it's time to start connecting some dots.
Sometimes the craziest trades come just a little bit out of nowhere. The Chicago Bears negotiated the Jeffery Simmons blockbuster in less than 24 hours, for example.
Maybe the Panthers will be the next team to shock the NFL with what they do.
There's one name out there who would certainly do that: Derrick Henry.
There hasn't been a major link here yet, but if you put a few pieces together, it could make sense.
This part is the simpler half of the equation. Baltimore's season is in total uncertainty mode after Lamar Jackson's injury.
The Ravens also conveniently play on Thursday, giving teams a few extra days to negotiate with Baltimore depending on what they do in primetime against the Jaguars.
"The Ravens are down to an injured, undrafted third-string rookie quarterback for Thursday night's game," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote on Wednesday. "They will be 4-5 if they lose, with no idea when Lamar Jackson could return. Henry is turning 33 in January. He is scheduled to earn $12 million next year, and none of that money is guaranteed. If he isn't in Baltimore's plans beyond this year, the Ravens could find themselves fielding offers over the next week. Henry's base salary this year is just $1.255 million (he made the rest of this year's $14 million via bonuses the Ravens have already paid), so he'd be extremely easy for another team to absorb onto its cap. Not sure how realistic this is, but it's something to keep an eye on, especially if the Ravens lose to the Jaguars on Thursday night."
OK, so that premise is established. Henry is tradeable. But the Panthers? Hang with us.
In mid-October, ESPN's Mike Kaye named running back as one of the Panthers' main needs.
The Jonathon Brooks injury removed some depth, and Trevor Etienne isn't a sure thing to be a good enough backup for Chuba Hubbard.
Hubbard has often done best in his career when paired with another back. He's never been paired with an RB as good as Henry.
The Panthers don't have tons of cap space, but the low base salary for Henry mentioned above makes him absorbable — and since none of his money for next season is guaranteed, Carolina wouldn't have to fret about that until making a decision on Henry in the offseason.
Carolina does have an extra 2027 fourth-round pick in its coffers, too.
The Panthers and King Henry aren't the most likely match. But in a different context on Wednesday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter said this time of year that you have to "watch out for the curveballs." This would be one of those, for sure — but not an impossible one to hit.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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