The Derek Carr injury in New Orleans could open the door for a division rival to make a draft move.
Carr's shoulder injury adds incentive for the Saints to snag a quarterback in the first round of next week's draft, which begins with the first round on April 24. As such, a team attempting to leapfrog New Orleans, sitting at No. 9, for a quarterback might give general manager Dan Morgan of the Carolina Panthers a call for the No. 8 overall pick.
"I think we're definitely open to trading back and acquiring more picks," the GM said Tuesday in his pre-draft news conference. "I think we're gonna be open for all possibilities. Let's put it that way."
Morgan was asked if he'd taken any additional calls on potential trades after the Carr news came down last Friday.
"I don't think yet. I think it's still a little early for that," Morgan said. "I think maybe down the line, I'd expect it a little more. But right now, things are quiet."
In reality, any team looking for a QB in the mid-to-late stages of Round 1 likely had the Saints pegged as a team that might draft one at No. 9 even before Carr's news. Now that the world knows about the shoulder issue, it's a blaring light.
The question is multifold: Will a team want to give up assets for one of the quarterbacks, potentially Shedeur Sanders? Might a club simply wait to pounce on a Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough? Can they wait or fear missing out -- ala the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024? Might the Saints themselves jump into the top five to avoid being leapfrogged, thereby negating the Panthers' leverage?
Morgan won't know all the variables until his club is on the clock.
The makeup of the draft has led to the belief that there might not be many clubs willing to trade up, making trading down more difficult.
"I always look at it like it only takes one team to fall in love with a player," Morgan said on Tuesday. "A team could fall in love with a player and decide they want to trade up with us and go get their guy. … We'll be waiting if somebody wants to come up."
