The Carolina Panthers have finally reached a rare spot at tight end: they’ve got enough bodies to make the room work. That’s a sentence that would’ve sounded impossible not long ago, but here they are with Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and Darren Waller all filling specific roles, while Feleipe Franks handles special teams.
That depth could now put Carolina in position to help a team that badly needs it. The Los Angeles Chargers are dealing with a tight end shortage after David Njoku (fibula) and Charlie Kolar (forearm) were sent to injured reserve, per Jim Harbaugh. With both of their best run-blocking tight ends out, the Chargers are left with one tight end on the active roster.
Oronde Gadsdon was sitting behind Njoku and Kolar because they were much stronger blockers, but that no longer matters. What matters now is that Los Angeles needs help in the trenches at the position, and that’s where Carolina has a possible trade chip.
Ja'Tavion Sanders probably isn’t the answer. He’s the odd man out in Carolina and could help with depth in LA, but his blocking doesn’t match what the Chargers need over the next few weeks.
Tommy Tremble also seems unlikely to move, since he’s the starter. That leaves Mitchell Evans as the most logical name to watch. The former fifth-round pick is in his second season and still has plenty of promise, but he also happens to fit the Chargers’ current need better than anyone else in Carolina’s tight end group.
Evans gives the Panthers a little of everything, just not as much as their specialists. He’s not as strong a blocker as Tremble and not as polished a receiver as Waller, but he’s been a useful hybrid piece. Carolina could afford to move him because the roster already has answers at both ends of the tight end spectrum.
There’s also been some outside chatter about a possible Panthers-Chargers swap involving Kimani Vidal while Jonathon Brooks recovers. A deal built around Evans and Vidal could make sense for both sides.
And if Carolina does decide to cash in, there’s a clear case for doing it now. Evans has a bright future, but the Panthers already like Tremble, and Waller’s long-term outlook is still an open question beyond 2027. Carolina also figures to look for another young pass-catching tight end in the 2027 NFL draft, which makes moving Evans for value now a reasonable path.
In Other News...
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Panthers Face A Risky Defensive Decision As Run Issues Mount
The early returns on Carolinas run defense have been ugly enough to put the front seven under a spotlight after just two weeks of the NFL season. The Panthers sit last in run-stuff percentage, and that kind of start naturally pushes the conversation toward help, especially on a defensive front that has not done enough to slow opponents between the tackles.
Bleacher Reports Kristopher Knox floated a familiar name in that discussion, listing Daron Payne among the top trade candidates who could give Carolina an immediate lift up front. Payne, a Pro Bowl selection in 2022, is reportedly available for a third-round pick, but the fit comes with real downside because he would be a free agent after the season, leaving the Panthers to weigh short-term stability against the risk of a one-year rental. [Read more 🡒]