One Trade Panthers Must Make to Address LB Concerns Before Preseason Ends

The Panthers clearly need one more linebacker to field a competitive defense.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) prays before the game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The preseason is often about two things. First, it's about getting players important reps against NFL-level competition. Second, it's about learning, both about individual players and the team itself.

In that regard, we have learned a lot about the team: where Carolina's strengths lie, where the weaknesses have come up, where depth is and is not, what plays work, how well newcomers have meshed, and more.

One thing has become abundantly clear in all of this learning, though. The Panthers have exactly one viable linebacker on the roster, and it's Devin Lloyd. The problem is, they need two for a starting lineup. A trade might have to happen.

How the Panthers can alleviate LB issues with one key trade

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) kneels in the end zone before the game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Panthers badly need another linebacker, and it could be a good time to get one. For starters, there are some free agents, like Bobby Okereke or Bobby Wagner, still available, and signing one would be smart.

Those are, however, lackluster options. There's a reason no one has bothered to sign them less than a month from the opening week. They'd be decent additions in Carolina, but they won't fix the problem.

A trade, however, might, especially for players who could be getting cut soon. The Panthers would have all the leverage in that situation, and they could use it to sneak Ivan Pace Jr. away from the Minnesota Vikings.

FanSided's Zachary Rotman and Mark Powell wrote, "He recorded 102 tackles as a rookie in 2023, but missed time in 2024 due to injury and was only on the field for 30 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2025...Pace can still make the team, [but] Minnesota could choose to go in another direction."

If the Vikings are going to cut Pace Jr., then they'd probably be thrilled with a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick from the Panthers. That's a low price to pay for the Panthers to fix their biggest issue and ensure they don't have competition to sign him on the open market or waivers.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace (32) during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Other options include Patrick Queen (though he's very expensive), Marist Liufau (who recently transitioned from ILB to EDGE, sadly), Blake Cashman, Pete Werner, and more. However, Pace Jr. probably makes the most sense out of all the options.

The Panthers could then start Pace opposite Devin Lloyd, moving both Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherilus, who are waging the most uninteresting camp battle perhaps in the entire NFL, to the bench as backups, which is a much better situation for both players.