The Monday after week 3 the Panthers sit at 3-0 for the first time since 2015 and they make a huge trade that could have ramifications for the years to come. The trade consists of newly acquired tight end Dan Arnold and Panthers 2022 third round pick being swapped for Jaguars 2020 first round pick, CJ Henderson and Jaguars 2022 fifth round pick. For the Panthers CJ Henderson will fill the role of rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn while he sits out for 8 weeks with a broken foot. Horn was off to a fantastic start of his career and hopefully he can fully recover and come back for a late postseason push. The Jaguars essentially gave up on the young corner who has shown potential but could never put it all together. Maybe CJ and Horn could be a star cornerback duo down the road but for now CJ needs to earn his keep. As for Dan Arnold, the Panthers paid him this offseason giving him a 2 year 6 million dollar deal with 4.5 million guaranteed. The deal ended any possibility of Ian Thomas breaking out into a top tight end but that all changes now with Arnold gone. Thomas has other competition to worry about though with young rookie Tommy Tremble, a fan favorite, sits behind him while he figures out his career in the NFL as he only played 19 games at the collegiate level. Both stand 6’4 and 255 lbs. and I could see Joe Brady (offensive coordinator) draw up some 2 tight end sets in the near future, especially with Christian McCaffrey missing at least 3 weeks with a hamstring injury. In Jacksonville, the Jags gain reliability at a much-needed position. The contract Arnold earned this offseason shows he was an emerging talent who deserves a starting spot and Trevor Lawrence needs a tight end that can catch the ball. All in all the Panthers won this trade on paper but the draft needs to happen to see the true winner.
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