Heading into their early bye week, the Carolina Panthers are 2-1 and look like they will be a competitive team this season with playoff potential.

One thing that could derail that hype train is the safety position.

In Sunday’s win over Cincinnati, Carolina’s issues at safety came to a head. With Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve due to a concussion, the Bengals picked on Colin Jones repeatedly. Jones is a solid special teams player but he’s not up to the task of covering starting receivers and tight ends.

The Panthers have two weeks before their next game, but they cannot afford to wait when it comes to finding more help at safety.

For most of the 2018 offseason, there’s been a gluttony of quality safeties on the free agent market. Eric Reid is the most visible example, but there are also a few other quality names still out there.

That may change very quickly, though.

Carolina could find itself competing in an arms race with a division rival to acquire one of the remaining talented safeties on the market.

On Sunday, the Falcons lost in devastating fashion to the Saints at home. Worst of all, their starting safety Ricardo Allen tore his Achilles and is out for the season, joining his partner Keanu Neal. This means Atlanta is now even more desperate than the Panthers when it comes to safety depth.

In addition to Reid, guys like T.J. Ward, Mike Mitchell and Tyvon Branch could also provide a shot in the arm for either team.

The gem is, of course, Earl Thomas, who is seemingly still dissatisfied with the Seahawks. After another all-world performance in Sunday’s win for Seattle, his comments made it clear he doesn’t feel that the Seahawks appreciate his abilities. Thomas sat out practice Friday and is apparently expecting to be fined by the team and anticipates being traded.

Trading for ET is and always has been a long shot. Seattle’s front office is not going to give him up without a ridiculous trade offer. If the Cowboys could not meet their terms, then we know they’re asking for an exorbitant price in return for the game’s top free safety.

Marty Hurney should kick the tires on Thomas but can’t give away the farm. If Thomas is out of reach, Hurney should do his best to sign one of the name free agents as soon as possible. If he doesn’t, there’s a strong chance the Falcons could swoop in and steal the best of them.