We bring you part two of this week’s fan mailbag! Come see the answers to all your questions!
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! This week, we officially started the countdown to the 2025 NFL Draft, and while free agency is upon us, its clear many of you cannot WAIT for the Draft to arrive.
So to recap, Brian Answers is the second part of our weekly mailbag, where I respond to all your questions, and highlight answers to our topic of the week. You all hit me with questions in the comments of Brian Asks earlier this week, so I’m bringing you my expert and ANALYTICAL opinions. The Panthers are trading for Garrett Wilson and there’s nothing you can do about it. Anyway, enough jokes, let’s dive in!
bolshy: Is it foolish to assume Derrick Brown will be as good as he was in 2023?
I don’t think its foolish. Players come back from meniscus injuries, though it can take some time. I think the Panthers should not rush anything with Brown in the offseason. They know what he is, there’s no point in pushing him out to practice until medical staff is fully clearing him for activity. We may see some conditioning lag if he sits out for a bit during Offseason activities, but given he suffered the injury early in the season, he might be ready for week one without guard rails. We’ll have to see what his rehab looks like, and if he suffers any setbacks.
@WTMealey: Who is a GM you’re scared if they call they are going to get the better side of the deal?
The opposite-who is a GM you think you can walk away with feeling like you definitely got a bargain
The Super Bowl Champions come to mind in regards to your first question. The Philadelphia Eagles have made quite a recent history of winning trades, such as trading a first round pick for AJ Brown, only for the Titans to draft a dud of a replacement. Or there’s the Carson Wents trade with the Colts, which netted some capital the Eagles used to draft great talent. My pick would be Howie Roseman, and if only because that team is not making trades out of desperation.
The opposite resides in the same division, Cowboys GM and owner Jerry Jones. I’m not really sure what’s going on in Jerry-World right now, but they’ve been making their team worse for a while now. Sure, they signed Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be head coach, but they were missing out on candidates for a while before they got their guy. Jerry Jones hasn’t managed the administrative part of that organization (in my opinion, of course) in quite some time. I’d be happy to see the Panthers make a deal with them.
Shifty Fish: Would you trade A’Shawn Robinson + 147th for the Steelers 85th pick?
(Their 3rd, our middle 5th)
I wouldn’t hate the trade. I think using one or more of the Panthers three 5th round selections to jockey into 3rd round territory isn’t the worst thing to do with the trade capital (go ahead and boo me, Trade Down Island). My only concern with the trade proposed would be trading away essentially the Panthers 2nd best interior Defensive lineman. That said, we’ don’t know what they’ll do in free agency yet, and moving Robinson should net them anywhere from $1-5 million in cap space depending on whether they designate it a post June 1st trade (per OTC). I wouldn’t do the trade myself based on what the defensive line looks like right now, but talk to me in a month and a half or so.
plancos: Mustard or Thousand Island dressing on a Reuben sandwich?
Why is it called Thousand Island??
I didn’t answer the second part of this question as commenter Form and Void answered better than I ever could.
I am definitely an heavy mustard fan. Give me spicy mustard on most sandwiches and I am a happy camper. But Thousand Island on a Reuben is just the classic formula. So I’m going with the Thousand.
GooseCreek: Who are the committee members that didn’t vote for Luke Kuechly to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and what is their addresses? I…uh…just want to write them a letter…ya know?
That information hasn’t been made public, and likely never will be. But I’d love to hear who they are, where they live, and what leg they favor walking on. I’d imagine one of them is Gronk, after this totally legal, heads up, truly great defensive play.
Jesse_Pinkman: Longtime Bengals middle linebacker George Pratt just asked to be traded. Do you think he would be a good fit for the Panthers Brian? Or should the team go after Baun or even resign Shaq? Cheers
Germaine Pratt apparently asked for a trade from the Bengals this week. I’m not all that shocked given their defense has been letting them down since their last Super Bowl appearance. The 29 year old linebacker is on the last year of his 3 year extension from 2023, and his cap hit would be (I’m guessing here) about $5-6 million per OTC. It wouldn’t be the worst deal for a team that has so many needs on defense, and the top free agents will command top dollar at that position. For Carolina, making that trade would allow them to focus on the defensive line and secondary, specifically safety, in free agency. That said, I wouldn’t get too excited about Pratt as a game changer. But maybe he’ll prove me wrong. Either way, objectively, not a bad trade depending on the compensation.
Coach_K: Which college player do you think will excel in the combine because of their freakish skills, athleticism and shoot up the draft?
I’m going to preface this by saying I do not really keep up with athletic testing until the combine itself, but if I had to pick someone to push into the top 5-10 somehow, its Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams. Edge players almost always push themselves up the rankings with good combine testing, and I could see the Panthers taking him at 8 even to the chagrin of many Panthers fans (including myself). Big frame, strength, and agility, they do make scouts drool.
Good_Ol_Boy: Do you hold out any hope, whatsoever, that Jonathon Brooks will fully recover and become the stud RB that the Panthers drafted him to be?
I actually do think he can become a player worth the selection. After all, he won’t have any significant tread on his tires since 2023 (except for, you know, the knee injuries). If the Panthers do go the course and sit him out all of 2025, you could see some a really fresh prospect in 2026. The big problem here, is he’ll only have two years on a rookie contract left to show he was worth that selection. So unless he’s an All-Pro or Pro Bowler in year 3 or 4, its still going to look like a bad pick. But I don’t see a reason not to see it through with him until at least the 2026 preseason. I know, sunk cost fallacy and all that, but he’ll only be 22 years old come July of this year. Even with the knee injuries, there’s upside there. The issue will always be the second contract if he manages to turn it around. But I’m rooting for the guy.
packpowerfan: As a State alum I love Davin Vann’s relentless run pursuit and the upside that he can continue to grow as a pass rusher. Do you think he’s worth a 4th or later?
Seems like day 3 or UDFA is right about where he’s projected to go. I’m not sure about the 4th round just based on broad reading around the internet, but the Panthers have a decent amount of day 3 picks with two 4ths, three 5ths, and a 7th. I’m not opposed to taking a flyer on DL prospect with one of those, even if they draft one in the first three rounds. He’s a versatile piece and Carolina could stand to add reinforcements at basically every spot along the defensive line.
Join us next week for another Panthers fan mailbag! Keep Pounding!