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Panthers should add consistent pass rusher who just hit the trade market

Seemingly every day, there’s another NFL veteran getting permission from their team to be traded. The latest would aid the Panthers’ defense immensely.
Russell Baxter|
Nov 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is stopped by Tennessee Titans linebacker Harold Landry III (58) after a first down in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is stopped by Tennessee Titans linebacker Harold Landry III (58) after a first down in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

When you allow the most points in a single season in league history, and also finish dead last in the NFL in fewest total yards and fewest rushing yards allowed, suggestions to fix what ails a team are only natural. Add in the fact that the club finished with only 32 sacks, tied for the third-fewest in the league, and the Carolina Panthers are likely the first team everyone thinks about when a veteran defensive player become available.

Less than 24 hours after Washington Commanders’ defensive tackle Jonathan Allen expressed his wishes to be traded, here’s the latest from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

A second-round pick in 2018, the former Boston College product has played six seasons in Nashville, and has amassed 50.5 sacks in 98 regular-season contests. Landry has also totaled a respectable 4.5 sacks in five postseason contests with the franchise. A Pro Bowler in 2021 when racked up a career-best 12.5 QB traps with the club, he missed all of 2022 with a torn ACL. He’s rebounded the past two seasons with sack totals of 10.5 and 9.0, respectively.

There’s a little irony here. The Titans are the team that Carolina was tied with in 2024 with those aforementioned 32 sacks. Of course, the previous season saw Carolina finish dead last in the league with just 27 quarterback traps.

What would it take to secure the services of the 28-year-old defender? Last summer, the New England Patriots dealt standout pass-rusher Matt Judon (who missed the final 13 games in 2023 with a torn bicep) to the Falcons for a 2025 third-round pick. While Landry has obviously bounced back from his lost 2022 season in fine fashion, that price seems to be right.

Consider this. The popular mock draft choice for Carolina at No. 8 is University of Georgia playmaker Jalon Walker. The combination of a one-time Pro Bowler and the 2024 Butkus Award winner could make for quite the bookends.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.