We're still waiting to hear the price, but as it stands all we know is that the Carolina Panthers have made their second trade with the Oakland Raiders this offseason as they have now brought in 25 year old WR Louis Murphy, a 2009 forth round pick of the Raiders.
The timing of the move is interesting, especially with training camp looming. Make no mistake, he's not challenging Brandon LaFell as the starting WR, but the seat for David Gettis just got a whole lot hotter as the 3rd WR. Murphy had a down year in 2011 totaling just 241 receiving yards, but his role was also decreased as he only appeared in 11 games. It's easy to look at this as a 'blah' move, but Murphy is a legitimate talent at WR after posting 521 yards and 4 TDs as a rookie, and 609 yards in his second season, starting nine games each year.
Talent wise he's on a similar level to Jacoby Jones who the Panthers looked at earlier in free agency to add another receiver to the fold, and Murphy is slightly younger too. At its core this was a move to solidify the depth, and add insurance in case Gettis hasn't fully healed. This ensures if you want to make the 53 man roster at WR then you better be prepared to give 100% in Spartanburg, just as it should be.
It goes without saying, but this signing almost assures the end of the Armanti Edwards experiment in Carolina. With Kealoha Pilares and Joe Adams having ST value it's almost impossible to concieve a situation where the Panthers are carrying seven WRs into the final 53 man roster.
Murphy's career stats after the jump
Season | Team | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||||
G | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FUM | Lost | ||
2011 | Oakland Raiders | 11 | 1 | 15 | 241 | 16.1 | 47 | 0 | 6 | 69 | 11.5 | 27 | 1 | -- | -- |
2010 | Oakland Raiders | 14 | 9 | 41 | 609 | 14.9 | 70 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
2009 | Oakland Raiders | 16 | 9 | 34 | 521 | 15.3 | 75T | 4 | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 13 | 0 | -- | -- |
TOTAL | 90 | 1,371 | 15.2 | 75 | 6 | 13 | 143 | 11.0 | 43 | 1 | 2 | 1 |