CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some might say it’s a rebuild. Others might go so far as to call it tanking.

Either way, the Carolina Panthers, who’ve already fired a coach this season and own the NFL’s worst record at 1-5, are now well positioned to get the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft – and land the franchise quarterback they’ve coveted for years.

The Panthers’ offense was already dead last in the league, and that was before the team traded its best player, Christian McCaffrey, to the San Francisco 49ers and starting wide receiver Robbie Anderson to Arizona Cardinals.

General Manager Scott Fitterer said Friday the decision to deal McCaffrey was in the best interest of the future of the organization.

He refused to call it tanking.

“The NFL is a business where you lose guys, whether it is injuries or trades or whatever happens,” Fitterer said. “The expectation of winning never changes. Those guys in the locker fight too hard and work too hard every day. We owe it to them. That’s our expectation to go out and win every game.”

But how does Fitterer tell players they’re expected to win when he’s just traded away the team’s undisputed star?

“That’s the tough part,” Fitterer said.

Said interim coach Steve Wilks: “There’s no such thing as tanking when it comes to myself or the men in that locker room.”

Injured quarterback Sam Darnold was bummed when he learned of the trade Friday morning, but doesn’t think management is tanking, saying “we’re worried about going out there and winning football games. We’re not worried about any of the narratives going on outside of the locker room.’’

Owner David Tepper spoke last week about the delicate balance between establishing a winning culture and finding a franchise quarterback in the draft to build around.

“You have to try to win, all of the time,” Tepper said on Oct. 10 after firing coach Matt Rhule. “You have to try to win for the players. You have to try to win for the fans. And, yes, I understand what it is about draft picks and getting quarterbacks and stuff like that, and I understand the importance of quarterbacks in this league. But you have to try to win always.”

Former NFL general manager and analyst Bill Polian doesn’t think the Panthers are tanking, and he liked how Panthers pit two organizations – the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams – against each other to drive up McCaffrey’s asking price.

The Buffalo Bills were also involved in talks early on.

In the end, the Panthers got picks in the second, third and fourth rounds next year and a fifth-round pick in 2024 for McCaffrey, a 2019 All-Pro who is fourth in the league in yards from scrimmage this season. And while Fitterer didn’t get the first-round pick he wanted, the move did take McCaffrey’s scheduled salary cap hits of $19,550,750 in 2023 and 2024 and $15,450,750 in 2025 off the books.

“They picked up a nice group of picks for him, so that’s a pretty good return on a running back who is obviously a great player but who has had some nicks here and there over the last couple of years,” Polian said. “From their perspective it is a good return.”

But looking ahead to next season, the problem remains finding a quarterback.

The Panthers haven’t been able to get consistent production at the game’s most important position for quite a while. They signed Teddy Bridgewater, traded for Darnold and Baker Mayfield and even brought back Cam Newton for a second stint.

Still, they find themselves starting undrafted P.J. Walker – who entered training camp fourth on the depth chart – on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If the season ended today, the Panthers would have the top pick in the 2023 draft and a strong quarterback class to choose from, led by Kentucky’s Will Levis, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young.

STEELERS: Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett will start on Sunday night against Miami after being released from the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the draft, left last week’s upset win over Tampa Bay in the third quarter after being knocked legally to the ground by Buccaneers linebacker Devin White. Doctors gave Pickett the OK to practice this week without limitations, and he will make his third career start when Pittsburgh (2-4) visits the Dolphins (3-3).

JETS: Disgruntled wide receiver Elijah Moore will sit out New York’s game Sunday against the Denver Broncos after requesting to be traded amid frustration over his lack of playmaking opportunities.

Coach Robert Saleh said “trading him is not an option,” but Moore will not be with the team in Denver as the Jets, at 4-2 and off to their best start since 2015, look for a fourth straight victory.

Moore, a second-round pick out of Mississippi who had 43 catches as a rookie last year, will go through workouts with trainers over the next few days and rejoin the team Monday.

PACKERS: Green Bay wide receiver Randall Cobb says he has a high ankle sprain and expects the injury to keep him out for anywhere from two to six weeks.

Cobb acknowledged that he initially feared the injury was much more serious. Cobb hurt his left ankle during the Packers’ 27-10 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

“I felt something pop and I thought, ‘This is the way it ends,’” Cobb said Friday. “It’s nice to have the good news and to know that I’ll be able to come back.”