CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers' carousel of ways to upgrade from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater landed on Sam Darnold.
The Panthers traded for the third pick of the 2018 draft after earlier this offseason losing out to the Los Angeles Rams in a deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
They also faced the possibility of being shut out of getting one of the top quarterbacks at No. 8 in the upcoming draft after San Francisco traded with the Miami Dolphins for the No. 3 pick, meaning the top three picks (Jaguars, Jets, 49ers) likely will be signal-callers.