Are the Panthers Tanking?

With the trades of wide receiver Robbie Anderson and running back Christian McCaffrey, it feels like the Carolina Panthers have waved the white flag on the 2022 season.

Sitting at 1-5 on the year, Carolina is in prime position to land the No. 1 overall pick in next year's NFL Draft. But due to past trades for CB CJ Henderson, QB Sam Darnold, and CB Stephon Gimore, the Panthers had a pretty bare cupboard of picks in 2023. They were able to replenish those picks by dealing away their star running back to San Francisco in exchange for a second, third, and fourth round pick in 2023 and a fifth round selection in 2024.

Trade rumors have been swirling around the Panthers in regards to Derrick Brown, Brian Burns, and DJ Moore among others. But the feeling is that Carolina does not want to part with any members of its young core unless "something astronomical" came about.

GM Scott Fitterer and team owner David Tepper will never admit to it, but this feels like a team that is tanking. In fact, when asked about tanking on Friday, Fitterer quickly shot that narrative down.

"No, I think we had to figure in what's best for the organization. Our focus is still going on and competing every weekend. We expect to win," said Fitterer. "The NFL is a business where you lose guys, whether its injuries, trades, whatever happens the expectation of winning never changes. We owe it to them. That's our expectation as an organization to go out and win every game."

When trades like this are made, it can be hard to convince the players in the locker room and the fans that the front office stills believes that winning is the expectation. Fitterer shared his thoughts on the message this sends to those on the roster and why the fans should still be excited about coming out to the games.

"That's the tough part. I'm not trying to tell them anything when we do that. We're doing what's best for the organization. What we would tell them is, hey, the expectations haven't changed. We're going to compete. Nothing changes about Tampa this week. I'm not trying to send a message by doing this.

"I'd say we have a really good, young core. This is a growing team. This is a developing team. Yeah, Christian is a dynamic player. He's one of the best players in the NFL. We're not going to hide that. I mean, he is who he is. What it does do is it allows us to grow going forward. Watch these guys. Watch them develop. Watch D'Onta [Foreman], Chuba [Hubbard], and [Raheem] Blackshear grow. This is a great opportunity for them to take that step. Be along for the ride."

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