Early on in the UFL season, the Michigan Panthers made quite a bit of noise by trading star WR Marcus Simms to the Houston Roughnecks. It was a move that took just about everyone by surprise, sending off a former All-UFL candidate for OT Cam Carter – who was a rotational piece in Houston.
At the time, many scratched their heads at Michigan (including myself) – letting go of someone who was such an integral piece to the offense.
However, the Panthers’ WR room hardly missed a beat. They ended up being one of the strongest units in the UFL, even without Simms.
Let’s take a look at how this trade played out for both teams – and what it might mean for each organization moving forward.
Michigan Panthers | OT Cam Carter
What was very clear from the get go: Michigan wanted to improve their depth at tackle. It’s tough to find quality offensive linemen – and the Panthers were starting two tackles (Ryan Nelson, Chim Okorafor) who primarily have played guard in other systems.
General Manager Steve Kazor had this to say about the trade when it went down:
“Marcus was a terrific player for us, and has been here for a long time. I was the one who brought him in. But we felt like we had six quality receivers, all have been in the NFL, and there was a tackle available for us. As you know, tackles are really hard to find. I was talking to one of my guys at the Colts the other day about looking for a tackle, and he said ‘join the club, so are we’. Cam is a big guy. The kid’s learning the offense, and I think it’ll work out well for all of us.”
Of course, replacing someone of the caliber of Marcus…