Should the Carolina Panthers Trade for Evan Engram or David Njoku?
It's no secret that the Carolina Panthers could use a little help at the tight end position as both Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz have been almost non-existent in the passing game. The two have only combined for 15 receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown through eight games.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has established a nice rapport with free agent signing Robby Anderson and the other two youngsters DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel, but hasn't displayed much confidence in throwing the ball to either tight end as he has only targeted Thomas and Manhertz a total of 21 times combined.
The Panthers are set to get back running back Christian McCaffrey so that should help a great deal, but for this offensive attack to be complete, there needs to be more production from that tight end spot. With Carolina sitting at 3-5 nearing the trade deadline, not many would expect to see them being buyers but this could be more of a buy for the future more than the 2020 season.
Two tight ends that have surfaced in trade rumors are Evan Engram of the New York Giants and David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns. The Panthers are always looking at ways to get better and I wouldn't be shocked if they get into trade talks for either of those two tight ends.
Njoku has wanted out of Cleveland for a while now and it doesn't look like he's going to play much of a role in the Browns' offense with this new coaching staff. Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant have seen the majority of the playing time. The Browns are looking to deal a frustrated player that doesn't want to be there, so it could be a cheap price for the Panthers. A late round draft pick should do the trick.
As for Engram, he's someone that even though the Giants are listening to offers on, I'm not sold on them actually wanting to deal him just yet. He has a tremendous amount of potential, but he's just lacked consistency throughout his career and has not been as dependable as they had hoped when they drafted him in the first round in 2017. The asking price for Engram may be a bit steeper and may not be something Carolina will be able to pull off. Carolina lacks depth on both sides of the ball and I don't think they will want to risk their future for a tight end who is inconsistent, but has upside. Schematically, Engram is probably the better fit but Njoku seems like a more realistic possibility.
Teams have until Tuesday, November 3rd at 4 p.m. to make any trades.
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