With the Las Vegas Raiders getting to 3-3 and a Week 7 matchup against a 1-5 Chicago Bears next up, the silver and black may be ready to go all in on a playoff run this season. The defense has been playing well as of late but the team needs another defensive end.
According to an October 14 report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Raiders are looking to make a trade for a pass rusher. While he’s likely the priciest on the market, Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns is a player the team should consider.
Although the team just used a first-round pick on Tyree Wilson just recently, he has yet to register a sack and doesn’t bring a lot of pressure. Burns is a back-to-back Pro Bowler and would be an elite running mate for Maxx Crosby. The Panthers are the only winless team in the NFL right now and need to rebuild. They don’t have a first-round pick next year due to the fact that they traded for the No. 1 pick earlier in the year.
If the Raiders want to go all out and make a trade for a proven pass rusher like Burns, they have a couple of options.
What Would It Take to Trade for Brian Burns?
Brian Burns won’t be cheap if Carolina decides to trade him. The Raiders could send this year’s first-round pick and next year’s second-round pick to the Panthers. That may be enough to get a deal done. The Los Angeles Rams offered two first-round picks for Burns last year, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but that seems like more than what the defensive end could get now considering he’s in a contract year.
The Raiders could also consider adding Tyree Wilson to the deal. Sending a recent top-10 pick and next year’s first-round pick may be appealing to the Panthers if they thought highly of Wilson before the draft. Wilson hasn’t shown much but everybody knew he’d be a work in progress. With the Raiders having to release Chandler Jones, their timeline for the defensive end has changed.
The Raiders are looking to win right now while the Panthers are a couple of years away. They have much more time to develop Wilson. Swapping the two defensive ends could be an interesting deal to make.
Should Las Vegas Raiders Focus on Rebuilding?
With the recent news that Brian Hoyer is starting over rookie Aidan O’Connell, it’s clear that the Raiders are trying to win now. However, is that the right decision? Las Vegas clearly has some major issues. The defense is thin on talent and the offense is a mess despite having plenty of talent.
There are still major question marks surrounding Josh McDaniels‘ ability as a head coach. Jimmy Garoppolo clearly isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback so there could be some appeal in bottoming out and taking a quarterback early in 2024. That might be the smart play but McDaniels could be playing for his job this season. Plus, the Raiders have players like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby who will not accept a rebuild.
Las Vegas is in a difficult situation right now but it’s looking like they plan to see if they can make a run at the playoffs this year.
