Carolina Panthers Could Wait and Solve TE Crisis with Brock Bowers Trade

The Panthers need a tight end, and Brock Bowers is probably the best in the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) warms up during organized team activities | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

If you aren't aware of the gaping hole at tight end that the Carolina Panthers, you may be new around here. We've covered at length the desperate need for a good tight end, as the Panthers haven't had one eclipse 500 yards in a season since Greg Olsen seven years ago.

Though not for lack of trying, the Panthers have simply had a revolving door of mediocre or worse tight ends. That isn't going to change this season. They had opportunities in the draft, free agency (including someone who is still available now), and by way of trade.

But they didn't draft Eli Stowers, sign Jonnu Smith or David Njoku, and they're not going to trade for Cole Kmet. They seem content to wait, and if they do, there's a non-zero chance that Brock Bowers could be the knight in shining armor.

Panthers could wait and land Brock Bowers in blockbuster trade

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) looks on before the game | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

It is highly unlikely that the Las Vegas Raiders will trade Brock Bowers. It's perhaps even less likely that the Panthers would win the inevitable bidding war for the tight end's services. Let's analyze it anyway.

Bowers isn't available now. The Raiders want to keep him around for Fernando Mendoza's development. But if that is slow and the rebuild takes some time to get off the ground, Bowers may not wait around on a perpetual loser.

PFF's Daire Carragher listed Bowers as one of six potential mega trade candidates after the Myles Garrett deal, which does make an eventual Bowers deal a little easier to imagine.

"Bowers went 42-2 during his collegiate career at Georgia and helped lead the Bulldogs to two national championships. Since arriving in the NFL, Bowers’ Raiders have gone 7-27. If Las Vegas fails to find sustained success with Fernando Mendoza under center and the current rebuild stalls, Bowers could find himself eager to join a more competitive situation," Carragher wrote.

He continued, "Contenders are constantly searching for game-changing weapons in the middle of the field. So few of the NFL’s truly elite teams have a top tight end to rely on. If Bowers ever became available, there would be no shortage of general managers prepared to make an aggressive offer."

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) tackles Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Obviously, the Panthers have lacked a game-changing weapon over the middle for the better part of a decade. They would likely be aggressive in pursuit of Bowers if all goes to plan. If the Panthers continue ascending and Bryce Young makes another leap forward, then this move would make all the sense in the world.

They would have established themselves as the cream of the NFC South crop and a perennial playoff team, and to take that next step, a big move might be necessary. If the Raiders haven't progressed in that time, then this hypothetical Bowers deal becomes more likely and the Panthers could and should go after it if it does.