The Carolina Panthers are giving Bryce Young another proven target, and this time it comes in the form of a former Pro Bowl tight end.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, Carolina has agreed to a one-year contract with Darren Waller. Schefter reported on X, "Former Pro-Bowl tight end Darren Waller and the Carolina Panthers reached agreement today on a one-year deal, per source,".
Waller joins a Panthers offense that has been built up around Young over the last couple of years. The hope in Carolina is clear: keep adding pieces and keep pushing the young quarterback toward the kind of season that turns promise into certainty.
Waller, 33, spent last season with the Miami Dolphins, appearing in nine games and finishing with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns. Before that, he turned in a solid 2023 season with the New York Giants, when he hauled in 52 receptions for 552 yards and a touchdown in 12 games.
His best year came in 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders, when he earned his lone Pro Bowl nod. That season, he posted 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns across 16 games.
The Panthers are not bringing him in to chase those numbers again. They’re adding him to fill a role, give Young another dependable option, and make the passing game a little harder to defend.
Young’s own production last season gives Carolina reason to believe the arrow is pointing up. In 16 regular season games in 2025, the 25-year-old completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 216 yards and two scores.
After last season’s playoff run and NFC South title, expectations in Carolina are higher than they’ve been in years. On paper, the Panthers now look like a team with enough talent to stay in the mix in the NFC if that group delivers.
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