Zach RobertsSep 28, 2026
With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson hurt, Roberts lays out cornerback additions they expect Carolina to pursue immediately — free agents Marshon Lattimore, Tre'Davious White and Jeff Okudah, plus trade targets Kristian Fulton from Kansas City and Deonte Banks from the Giants — and suggests practice squad UDFA DeVonta Smith could be elevated.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Zach Roberts said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromMarshon Lattimore is nowhere close to the shutdown corner he used to be, but he's arguably the best option in free agency.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- 8 Cornerback Options for Panthers with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson Hurt
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Deonte Banks to move to Carolina Panthers“The New York Giants may want to trade pieces and forego the season with Jaxson Dart out for the year, and trading Deonte Banks might be a good idea.”
- 2Marshon Lattimore to move to Carolina Panthers“Marshon Lattimore is nowhere close to the shutdown corner he used to be, but he's arguably the best option in free agency.”
- 3DeVonta Smith to land on the practice squad“Former UDFA DeVonta Smith was solid in the preseason, so he could be elevated, too.”
- 4Kristian Fulton to move to Carolina Panthers“They could want to get some value out of him before he leaves in free agency, and he'd be a fantastic option for the Panthers.”
- 5Jeff Okudah to move to Carolina Panthers“The Panthers could do worse than a former number three overall draft pick in Jeff Okudah.”
- 6Tre'Davious White to move to Carolina Panthers“At this point, signing someone with 19 interceptions in nine seasons would be a huge boost to the secondary, and the two-time Pro Bowler, at almost 32, would not cost anything at all.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deonte Banks to move to Carolina Panthers1 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Marshon Lattimore to move to Carolina Panthers2 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| DeVonta Smith to land on the practice squad3 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kristian Fulton to move to Carolina Panthers4 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jeff Okudah to move to Carolina Panthers5 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tre'Davious White to move to Carolina Panthers6 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 calls · 6 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
6 checkable claims — 5 trade and signing calls and 1 roster spot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Trade and Signing CallsDeonte BanksCarolina Panthers
Deonte Banks to move to Carolina Panthers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Trade and Signing CallsMarshon LattimoreCarolina Panthers
Marshon Lattimore to move to Carolina Panthers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Roster Spot CallsDeVonta SmithCarolina Panthers
DeVonta Smith to land on the practice squad
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Trade and Signing CallsKristian FultonCarolina Panthers
Kristian Fulton to move to Carolina Panthers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Trade and Signing CallsJeff OkudahCarolina Panthers
Jeff Okudah to move to Carolina Panthers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Trade and Signing CallsTre'Davious WhiteCarolina Panthers
Tre'Davious White to move to Carolina Panthers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · Carolina Panthers · Miss 0
Wright made several outright game calls for Week 9 alongside their spread picks: Kansas City beating the Jets 31-20, Detroit winning at Miami, New England edging Green Bay by a field goal or so, Carolina winning outright over Denver, and Houston blowing out the Chargers 27-12.Mitchell Eisenstein · Score Predictions · Carolina Panthers · Close 43
Mitchell gave their Week 9 top-five power rankings, keeping Buffalo first and the 49ers second while elevating the Bears, Jaguars and Lions, and picked a slate of Week 9 games including a Packers win in New England, a Panthers upset of Denver, and blowouts for Detroit, Kansas City and Houston. They also tabbed Jonah Coleman as a late-season Offensive Rookie of the Year pick.Cody Rourke · Game Outcome Picks · Carolina Panthers · Miss 0
Rourke predicts the Broncos finish 13-4 in 2026, going 4-2 over a brutal opening six games, sweeping Kansas City again, and losing only at San Francisco, at home to Seattle, at Carolina and on Christmas Day to Buffalo. They also expect Carolina to return to the playoffs.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Carolina Panthers · Miss 2
After the Bears beat the Patriots on Thursday night, Simms said they wouldn't be shocked to see the two meet in the Super Bowl, and then gave predicted final scores for every Week 7 game, including Seattle over Kansas City on Sunday night and Dallas winning in Philadelphia.John Middlekauff · Game Outcome Picks · Carolina Panthers · Miss 0
After the Bears-Patriots Thursday night game, Middlekauff called both Chicago and New England playoff teams, leaned Steelers, Vikings, Panthers, Bengals, Raiders, Packers and Seahawks in the weekend slate, predicted a bleak remaining season for the Chargers, and said Justin Herbert isn't going anywhere.
More trade and signing calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Michael David Smith · Trade and Signing Calls · Keenan Allen · Hit 100
Smith suggests the Colts are likely to grant Josh Downs' trade request given their contract situation and their recent sell-off, and that they could also try to trade Keenan Allen.