Carolina Panthers' biggest need going into NFL trade deadline is painfully obvious

The Panthers needed help at outside linebacker even before veteran Patrick Jones II went down for the season with a back injury.

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) with the ball as Carolina Panthers linebacker Princely Umanmielen (3) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2025 season the Carolina Panthers' greatest roster need was more firepower for their edge rush rotation. They certainly didn't help themselves by cutting Jadeveon Clowney, and their efforts to trade for a difference-maker before the season started didn't pan out.

The situation got even more serious this week when we learned that veteran outside linebacker Patrick Jones II will be out for the rest of the season due to a back injury.

That makes pass rush help the team's biggest need by far going into the trade deadline. Here's Kevin Patra at NFL.com breaking it down.

"A run defense that was historically bad last year has turned into an asset (thank you Derrick Brown,), but the Panthers need help affecting the quarterback. On Sunday, Carolina generated just seven QB pressures with zero sacks on 34 Dak Prescott pass attempts. Adding a playmaker on the outside would immensely help a secondary that has been picked on the past couple weeks."

The Panthers reportedly called the Cincinnati Bengals about trading for Trey Hendrickson back in early September, so we know there's interest there.

Hendrickson remains at the top of the list for potential edge upgrades, but Carolina is likely to run into a problem. According to Mike Kaye at the Charlotte Observer, there are a bunch of teams looking to buy edge upgrades at the trade deadline and not a lot of teams selling them.

For now, the Panthers will look to replace Jones internally. Head coach Dave Canales told reporters earlie this week that they'll use multiple defenders to replace the roles that Jones was playing.

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton (11) reacts in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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