Nic Scourton was going to be key to what the Carolina Panthers hoped would be high-end defensive success in 2026. Instead, the edge rusher tore his ACL on the first day of training camp, and he will miss the season. The Seattle Seahawks might be able to help the Panthers with their issue while also helping themselves.
Seattle has a seemingly solid rotation of edge rushers currently that goes at least four deep was good quality. Three of the players, though, are almost 30 years old or older. The fourth is Derick Hall, who the team signed to an extension this offseason. One of the other three could be expendable.
The situation that would unfold would come in two parts. Seattle could ship Uchenna Nwosu to Carolina in return for a third-round choice in 2027. General manager John Schneider is obviously loading up for next year as the draft class is expected to be deep at many positions, including edge rusher.
Seattle Seahawks could help out the Panthers with a trade of an edge rusher
Seattle already has a projected 12 picks, including comp choices for free agents lost, and the Minnesota Vikings hired Nolan Teasley from the Seahawks to be their new general manager. In Schneider's world, a team cannot have too many picks, especially if those selections are in the first three rounds.
Nwosu is a productive edge rusher and an excellent human being away from football, but he has a cap hit of just north of $20 million. A trade would save Seattle $11,510,000, according to Over the Cap, but the Panthers would gain a player who would help them on the field but also be a sage veteran in the locker room.
Carolina does have a bit of depth behind Scourton, including signing UFL Defensive Player of the Year Cam Gill, but Nwosu would be an upgrade for their roster. A third-round choice shouldn't be too much for a veteran who, while expensive, would help the team chase the NFC South title and wouldn't be on the books for a long period, unless the Panthers re-sign Nwosu.
The Seattle Seahawks still have a good amount of cap space and would add to that by trading Nwosu. The team would then take the next step and attempt to sign Jadeveon Clowney, an older edge rusher, but one who is still productive and extremely versatile. Clowney is good at pressuring quarterbacks and is elite against the run.
He also understands head coach Mike Macdonald's system. Clowney had arguably one of his best seasons in the NFL when he played for the Baltimore Ravens when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator there in 2023. That season, the former Seahawks player (he was with the team in 2019) had 9.5 sacks and once again was terrific at stopping the run.
Seattle could also entertain signing Joey Bosa, too. In essence, the team would trade Uchenna Nwosu, but potentially gain a third-round choice in 2027, Jadeveon Clowney, or Joey Bosa, or both. The Seahawks would still have cap money in case they had a need for it in 2026.
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