The Panthers got a scare at one of their thinnest spots this week, but Mitchell Evans appears to have avoided the kind of injury that would have really set Carolina back.
Evans was carted off Tuesday during training camp after hurting his ankle, a moment that naturally raised alarms. Head coach Dave Canales offered a little relief afterward, saying the medical staff was “pretty optimistic.”
That optimism got stronger on Wednesday. Sheena Quick reported that Evans sustained a low ankle sprain and is expected to be back for Friday’s Fan Fest practice, which is open to fans. For Carolina, that’s a major break.
Mitchell Evans suffered a low ankle sprain and is expected back for Fan Fest on Friday evening. Dave Canales says that Chris Brazzell aggravated the same knee (left) that held him out of the last two practices.#Panthers
The reason Evans matters so much is simple: the Panthers’ tight end room has been one of the weakest parts of the roster for a while. Last season, Carolina ranked 30th in total yards from the position, and PFF’s list of the 32 best tight ends in the NFL didn’t include a single Panther.
That drought isn’t new, either. Carolina didn’t have a tight end top 400 yards in 2025, and it’s been six straight seasons without one. That’s a glaring hole in an offense that now has more juice with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker helping lead the passing game.
Evans’ raw production last season - 19 catches, 171 yards and two touchdowns - doesn’t jump off the page. But the Panthers clearly value what he brings beyond the box score. At 6-foot-5 and just under 260 pounds, he gives Carolina a real blend of size and receiving ability, plus the blocking potential to matter when the Panthers lean on 12 personnel and the run game.
He also showed real efficiency as a target. Evans was thrown to 22 times and hauled in 19 of those passes, finishing with a 110.4 passer rating when targeted. For comparison, Brock Bowers posted a 114.5 passer rating when targeted.
Evans is not Bowers, of course, but that number underscores why Carolina views him as the tight end with the highest ceiling in the room. If the Panthers are going to finally snap that six-year stretch without a 400-yard tight end, Evans is the one with the best shot to do it.
In Other News...
Panthers Just Made A Telling Move In Their Thin Receiver Room
Carolina added another body to a receiver group that has been thinned out in training camp, signing Casey Washington and bringing the former Falcons wideout onto the 90-man roster. Washington arrives after two seasons in Atlanta, where he got into 15 games and caught seven passes for 108 yards, and now gets a fresh chance in a room that needs players who can stay on the field and keep reps moving.
The move came with a corresponding roster shuffle as Dan Chisena was placed on injured reserve, underscoring how quickly the depth chart can change this time of year. Washington also lands in a familiar corner of the NFC South after his release earlier this offseason, and for the Panthers the immediate question is less about pedigree than whether he can carve out a role before the roster gets even tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Face A Bigger Question About Bryce Youngs Next Step
Bryce Youngs 2025 season gave the Panthers something they had been searching for: a real step forward at quarterback. He completed 63.6% of his passes for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and the overall arc of his year suggested a player settling in rather than merely surviving. Still, the tape and the numbers together pointed to a broader issue around him, because too many throws that should have been routine completions never got finished.
The receiving group did its part in creating that problem, with Tetairoa McMillan tied to eight drops as Carolina worked through a season full of missed chances and injury-related shuffling. For a team trying to build on Youngs progress, the next step is not just about the quarterback continuing to grow. It is about whether the Panthers can clean up the support around him well enough to turn those gains into something more durable next season. [Read more 🡒]