Report: Panthers trade G Trai Turner to Chargers for OT Russell Okung

The Panthers made a trade with the Chargers, but it wasn’t the trade that many thought it would be.

Cameron Wolfe of ESPN reported Wednesday evening that the Panthers and Chargers will be swapping Pro Bowl offensive linemen. Guard Trai Turner will be headed to the Chargers, and tackle Russell Okung will be headed to the Panthers.

This looks like a deal that’s all about creating financial flexibility for the Panthers in the long run. Okung is in the final year of his contract, which gives the Panthers extra cap space to work with next season and adds more fuel to their rebuilding phase. The Panthers are also looking for some stability at the tackle position, after Daryl Williams was their only reliable linemen last season.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported that Okung had “expressed his uncertainty in the direction of the organization” and didn’t know his future with the team.

On the other side of things, the Panthers will be giving away a solid guard in Turner who’s still very young. He’s made the Pro-Bowl in each of his past five seasons, and he’ll look to continue his dominance on the Chargers, who seem to still be on a quarterback hunt as the offseason continues.

Cam Newton was a option for the Chargers after uncertainty with his future in Carolina, but all of that was shut down last week with the team announcing that Newton will be the starting quarterback for the 2020 season. Okung will be a dependable linemen for Newton as the Panthers will try to keep him clean in the backfield.

With the Falcons still having issues of getting to the quarterback, this trade doesn’t help them out at all. If there was any more reason to add pass rushers this offseason, this should be one of the reasons.

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