e trading block. What would it take to bring him to Carolina?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomShould the Panthers trade for 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas?New Stitched Torrey Smith Jersey ,65commentsRumor has it that the young pass rusher may be on the trading block. What would it take to bring him to Carolina?EDTShareTweetShareShareShould the Panthers trade for 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas?Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY SportsThe Carolina Panthers are in dire need of pass rushers heading into 2019. While they may be planning to address this in the draft, a first round pick alone won’t fill the gaping holes across the defensive line. Here are the defensive ends the Panthers currently have under contract going into 2019: Mario Addison, Bryan Cox Jr., Marquis Haynes, Efe Obada.That’s actually it. In 2018, this group combined for 11 sacks (Addison had nine). Help may be on the way through the draft, but it would be beneficial for the Panthers to explore outside options. General manager Marty Hurney could still go dumpster diving for a player like Shane Ray in free agency but, with limited cap space I wouldn’t hold my breath there. Enter a trade scenario that could provide Carolina a young, raw talent on a rookie contract: San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas.Solomon Thomas was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft Youth David Mayo Jersey , taken just five slots before his Stanford teammate, Christian McCaffrey, who some of you might be familiar with.Many national pundits hailed Thomas as the best prospect of the 2017 class. So far, he’s had a slower than expected start to his NFL career. In two years, Thomas has only accumulated four sacks in San Francisco. In 2018, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 63 EDGE player, which is right around average. Not terrible, but not what we’ve come to expect from a top-five draft pick in the NFL.After recently acquiring pass rusher Dee Ford from Kansas City for a 2020 second round draft pick, the 49ers are primed to pair Ford with the best edge rusher in the draft at the No. 2 overall pick in April. If San Francisco decides to move forward with drafting Nick Bosa Stitched David Mayo Jersey , as many have indicated will occur, they should be looking to move Thomas and recuperate their losses. What would it take?The general consensus at this point is that the 49ers won’t be moving forward with Thomas into 2020 and are seeking at least some compensation for his leave. While this doesn’t give them much leverage, there are many teams who could seek interest in a young pass rusher like Thomas. Player-for-player trades aren’t all too common in today’s NFL, but the Panthers could look into swapping first round busts (defensive tackle Vernon Butler) with the 49ers and throw in a mid-to-late round 2020 pick.Considering the Panthers are currently in line for multiple compensatory picks in 2020, this could be a win-win. Moving Butler seems to be a backburner offseason priority for this team. Acquiring a young pass rusher while dumping Butler would be a phenomenal move by Hurney, especially if the price is right for the pick(s) that would be tacked on. Once acquired, Thomas’ 2019 cap hit is an absolute bargain relative to what most free agents at his position are seeking. Update: With a $7.7 million cap hit in 2019 for the 49ers, the Panthers would essentially be filling the space created by the release of Matt Kalil with a 24-year-old former top-three draft pick at a position of need. Carolina would only need to pay his base salary and roster bonus, costing closer to $3 million in cap space and leaving $4 million in dead cap with San Francisco. (Thanks for catching this @Mitchell.Apple)The Panthers need pass rushers Youth Greg Van Roten Jersey , and this move could really boost their chances at establishing the multiple defense they want to run moving forward. Trading Butler (a player that they don’t intend to retain past this season) and a late round pick that will be replaced in compensation would be a helluva chess move for Carolina. If Hurney doesn’t even give 49ers general manager John Lynch a call, he’s only hurting himself. Food for thought. What would you be willing to trade to the 49ers for Thomas? I’ve been writing for weeks about the bright, young talent that will make the Panthers future. Never has that subject been more relevant than on the last day of a sad season that featured the final performance of all-time standouts Julius Peppers and Ryan Kalil and may have seen the final games from similar franchise legend Thomas Davis. We will talk a lot more about them in the coming weeks. They deserve more than passing mention in the weekly column that is supposed to be about the good news yet to break. We’ll also spend more time than just this column breaking down what the hell happened to this season. Today, let’s focus on what happened yesterday. Let’s talk about just the one football game while we still can.The Panthers played a game that was fun to watch for the first time in almost two months. They did it while still being plagued by the issues that lead to their seven game losing streak in the first place. A distinctly unimpressive offensive line performance led to the Panthers playing their fourth quarterback due to injury this season. A litany of second and third string players on the Saints’ offensive line held their own against the best the Panthers defensive linemen could throw at them. The Panthers still won. That might be because the rest of the Saints players, save Michael Thomas and Eli Apple, were off partying on the sidelines instead of competing in the game, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Panthers played entertaining football while showing flashes of a promising future. Cam Newton’s deterioration following the Pittsburgh game shouldn’t mask the fact that he didn’t really have a deep ball during the first half of the season, either. Yesterday showed us what Norv Turner’s offense can look like with downfield threats in the mix. That's a pretty good result from what was essentially a preseason game for both teams.You are welcome to feel any which way you want over the now confirmed returns of Marty Hurney, Ron Rivera Stitched Greg Van Roten Jersey , and the rest of the Panthers management and coaching staff. I have made myself clear on their performances on a number of occasions. You’d have to be crazy, however, to not want to see what Turner and his scheme could do with a healthy Newton and this young group of play makers.Curtis Samuel’s one great deep touchdown, D.J. Moore’s phenomenal run after the catch on an intermediate target, and the pass interference call in the first quarter on a hilariously under-thrown ball to Samuel were all examples of this offense being able to pull big plays out of nowhere. Kyle Allen, regardless of his future in the NFL and with his injury from yesterday, deserves credit for showing us what the Panthers could be next year.His performance as a first time starter was far better than expected. Like Chris Clark before him, he was a street signing that played beyond expectations. Also like Clark, we shouldn’t expect him to bring the Panthers glory if Newton has to sit out any length of time to rehab his shoulder. Goodness does not guarantee greatness. Allen was good in his limited time yesterday. The Panthers should absolutely consider him when constructing their quarterback room next year. But they won’t be so naive as to pin their hopes Youth Eric Reid Jersey , however short term, to his young and brief success.The Panthers’ future rests on the shoulder of a man with a poorly defined injury. Newton is the only franchise quarterback that they will have the opportunity or the capital to employ for the foreseeable future. Identifying a path for his return and protection has to be their highest priority. Newton at the helm of the offense we saw yesterday is more exciting than any play for which Steve Smith or Ted Ginn, Jr were responsible.Opportunities for greatness are not common in the NFL. The league is designed to favor parity over dominance. The Panthers are not far from such an opportunity, despite their disappointing 7-9 finish. Any fan of the Carolina Panthers should be optimistic about that.