Panthers Trade For Louis Murphy

Added on Jul 23, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

It appears Carolina Panthers quarterback will have a new toy to play with in the 2012 season. The Raiders have shipped wide receiver Louis Murphy to the Cats. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but it’s likely a low round draft pick will be sent to Oakland as compensation. With young talents Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore making strides, and the kinda sorta emergence of Darrius Heyward-Bey, Murphy became expendable.

Murphy, entering his fourth season, was a fourth-round pick in 2009 out of Florida. Despite the big play potential, his career thus far has been marred by nagging injuries and inconsistency. After a promising 2010 campaign with 41 catches for 609 yards, Murphy regressed a season ago, finishing with only 15 receptions for 241 yards and zero receiving touchdowns.

His best game came as a rookie in ’09 when he caught four passes for a career high 128 yards and a pair of scores in a Week 13 win over the Steelers. He has decent size and speed, but was simply a casualty of a numbers games in Oakland. Now he’ll be given a chance to develop into a solid contributor or starter for a team in need of receiving depth.

Remove Steve Smith from the equation and Carolina has few reliable targets. Brandon LaFell has the inside track to start opposite Smith, but he’s hardly a sure thing. He averaged 17 yards per catch in 2011, although he has only three games with 70 or more yards receiving.

None of the other Panthers receivers are proven, either. Davis Gettis is recovering from a torn ACL and ex-college quarterback Armanti Edwards has struggled to make the transition to wdeout. If Murphy can stay healthy and focused, he has an excellent opportunity to make an immediate impact, especially with the strong-armed Newton under center.

Expectations are high in Carolina for the impending season. The team opens camp on July 29th in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Source: Yahoo Sports