Over the past two seasons, Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams has asserted himself as one of the league’s premier offensive weapons, rushing for over 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’s also become a leader in the locker room, pushing his teammates to be better and leading them by example on the field.
But all of that could become a moot point if the Panthers decide that their other needs are too great to address without parting with one of their star players in an effort to obtain the draft picks necessary to upgrade other positions. According to Darin Gantt of the Rock Hil Herald, Carolina is likely to discuss this topic in depth over the coming weeks leading up to the free agency period and eventually the draft, setting the stage for a potential deal to be made next spring.
The most important of those needs is clearly at quarterback, where Jake Delhomme has aged rapidly and deteriorated even faster. His backup Matt Moore seems to be a nice player, but there are still significant questions as to whether he’s capable of being the permanent starter in the future. And seeing as the Panthers are currently lacking their first round pick after trading it away last season to San Francisco for the right to select defensive end Everette Brown, getting a good quarterback in next year’s draft seems unlikely at this point.
Trading away Williams would not be without its pitfalls, as he is a proven commodity at the running back spot, and losing him may cause a drop in production for the Panthers offense. That said, any trade of Williams would be mitigated by the presence of fellow running back Jonathan Stewart, who is equally dangerous and capable of handling the lead rusher role by himself if need be.
Any deal involving Williams would likely have to bring back a solid return, given his age (26) and production, eliminating many teams from consideration. A trade of a mid to late first round pick and a third round selection would probably be enough for the Panthers to move Williams, as that would give them the ability to obtain multiple players to fill positions of need without having to sacrifice any of their remaining picks.
All things considered, a trade of Williams this off-season isn’t in the cards just yet, but depending on the Panthers evaluation of Moore and Delhomme going forward, they may choose to move fast in using Williams to obtain the chips they’ll need to upgrade their depth chart, and move on with Stewart in the leading role.
What do you think? Should the Panthers trade Williams for picks? React in the comment section!
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