The Carolina Panthers began their trade deadline with the departure of Diontae Johnson. The wide receiver ended up with the Baltimore Ravens, who seemingly added a quality wide receiver for practically nothing. The Panthers don’t benefit much from this unless it’s addition by subtraction.

If it breaks down, the Carolina Panthers will have essentially traded Diontae Johnson for nothing. On day three, they will move up about 15 picks at best. In a worst-case scenario, they could literally move up one pick from first in the sixth to last in the fifth. They also pay a portion of Johnson’s salary, so there’s no financial benefit either.

The Panthers’ decision to sign Johnson was a good one. He’s a true wide receiver and a guy who’s at the top of the charts. The fact that Donte Jackson, who was completely inconsistent, was sent away and moved up a round was the icing on the cake.

It just didn’t work out, and even though he had a strong performance on the field, the Panthers now seem to regret everything. They almost certainly could have either waited or at least gotten something more valuable for Johnson. The time to strike wasn’t necessarily now, but they did it anyway.

It’s not uncommon for teams to have plays that don’t work out and for them to “pay” to keep going. The Panthers technically didn’t pay, but it certainly seems like they’re desperate to get Johnson out. Maybe they think now is the time to give almost all the targets to Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Jonathan Mingo.

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