It was a trade nearly forgotten in the whirlwind of last season. Before the Panthers preseason game against the Steelers, GM Dave Gettleman sent a conditional 7th round pick in 2017 to Seattle for Kevin Norwood, Seattle's 4th round pick a year prior. Norwood had a pretty good career at Alabama, and had developed a reputation for catching anything that even remotely comes his way, a very positive trait to have when Cam Newton is slinging fastballs.

Norwood had minimal impact in his first season with Seattle, catching 9 passes for 102 yards and spending most of the season inactive due to injury or roster depth. The Seahawks were going to cut him, but Gettleman wanted first crack at the youngster, so he traded for him instead. The Panthers had significant interest in the wideout in the 2014 draft and viewed this as a chance to cash in on a player they liked.

But joining the team so late in the preseason proved detrimental to Norwood's chances as he couldn't find his way into reliable playing time. Once Devin Funchess was fully recovered from his Hamstring injury, Norwood spent most gamedays inactive. In fact, the most significant moment he had during the season, was dropping what I personally felt was an easy touchdown grab against the Texans that he managed to turn into an interception.

From all accounts, it would seem this trade will amount to very little and that Norwood will fade into obscurity. Indeed that could be the case if the Panthers invest a draft pick into a wide receiver in this year's draft. With Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr., and Corey Brown all but guaranteed rosters spots, a draft pick may mean the death knell for Norwood.

However, the departure of Jerricho Cotchery gives him a bit of opportunity. He is about the same size, and from a scouting perspective, Norwood has the potential to fill Jerricho's role in the offense. If he can live up to his promises of sure hands and good route running, and fill in the gap of making physical catches against NFL level defenders, he may yet find his way onto the bottom of the roster. It is admittedly a long shot, but in the NFL you have to run with every opportunity you're given, or find yourself out of the league for good.