ex-Cowboys 7th-round pick linked to Panthers as potential trade destination

Noah Brown could make all of Carolina's wildest dreams come true.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) attempts to Catcha pass as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Josh Butler (31) defends during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers are heading into the 2025 NFL draft with a whole lot of roster needs to fill. While their defense was improved at all three levels in free agency, there's still a ton of room for improvement given how far below average they were going into the offseason.

One way they could meet their needs is not relying 100% on the draft class to address them. For one thing, they might consider adding another veteran edge rusher before the draft - perhaps someone like Emmanuel Ogbah or Matt Judon. They might also hit up the wide receiver need with the Washington Commanders, who could be shopping Brown ahead of the draft, per Fox Sports.

According to Last Word on Sports, the Panthers are one of the three teams who make sense as a potential trade destination for Brown.

Originally a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 NFL draft, Brown has the requisite size for a Carolina receiver, coming in at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. He spent five years with the Cowboys, plus one each with Houston and Washington.

All together, Brown has appeared in 87 games, totaling 150 catches, 2,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Brown's best year came in 2022 - his last season in Dallas - when he posted 43 catches, 555 yards and three scores.

Those aren't exactly the kind of numbers that are going to push the Panthers past the Buccaneers in the NFC South, but Brown's ceiling is probably higher than David Moore, who's currently serving as the team's fourth wide receiver option beneath Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

The Panthers should till be looking to target a wide receiver relatively early in the draft (at least before Day 3) but it wouldn't cost much to trade for Brown, who could provide some better depth on the bottom end of their rotation.

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