The Carolina Panthers may have patched a hole at tight end with Darren Waller, but that move looks more like a short-term bandage than a long-term answer. Waller turns 34 on Sunday, and the position still feels like one Carolina will need to address again if it wants Bryce Young surrounded by more reliable weapons.
That’s exactly where a new CBS Sports mock draft comes in. Ryan Wilson projects the Panthers to use the No. 9 overall pick in the 2027 draft on LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green, giving Carolina a potential answer at a spot that has lacked steady production for a while.
Wilson pointed to the contract situation around Tommy Tremble and the bigger picture at quarterback when making the call. As he wrote: "Tommy Tremble is in the final year of his current deal, and if Bryce Young is the long-term answer, they'll need to continue to surround him with playmakers."
Green brings the kind of frame that jumps off the page. At 6-foot-7 and 242 pounds, he has the size and athletic profile to become a real problem in the red zone, which is an area where the Panthers ranked 14th last season. He also put together a productive year for LSU, finishing with 33 catches, 433 yards and seven touchdowns.
For Carolina, the appeal is pretty clear: add another pass-catching threat and keep building around Young. In Wilson’s view, tight end could be the place to do it first.
In Other News...
Panthers Pass Rush Takes An Early Hit Before Week 1
Pat Jones II wont be on the field when the Panthers open the 2026 season against the Bears, and that leaves an immediate hole in a pass rush that was counting on him to help set the tone. Dave Canales said the starting outside linebacker is dealing with a back injury, specifically an aggravation on the opposite side from the issue that sidelined him in 2025, a reminder that Carolina is already managing depth before the first snap counts.
Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson and Thomas Incoom are the next names up, and their workloads figure to grow quickly with Jones unavailable. For a defense trying to come out of Week 1 with some early momentum, the bigger question now is how Carolina replaces Jones presence off the edge while keeping the rotation steady if this back issue lingers beyond the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face One Bryce Young Problem They Cant Hide
The Panthers are heading into 2026 with a rebuilt look up front, and Bryce Young will feel it immediately. Carolina is set to open the season with three new starters on the offensive line, plugging in Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Luke Fortner at center and rookie Monroe Freeling at right tackle while the team waits for a healthier picture to emerge on the edge. It is a lot of change at once for an offense that has spent enough time trying to settle in, and the timing is especially awkward with Taylor Moton expected to miss the early part of the year and Ikem Ekwonu unlikely to be available.
The bigger issue is not just who is starting, but who is behind them. Carolinas depth at tackle is thin, with Stone Forsythe the primary backup, which leaves little margin for error if injuries pile up or if the line simply takes time to gel. For Young, that means another season where the protection plan could be as important as the playbook, especially when the schedule brings stronger defenses and the Panthers need the pocket to hold up long enough for their quarterback to work. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Kuechly Just Added Another Layer To Panthers History
Luke Kuechly keeps stacking honors on a career that already defined an era in Carolina. The former Panthers linebacker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2026, adding the sports highest individual recognition to a resume that began when Carolina took him ninth overall in 2012 and never really slowed down from there. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year that season, became a multiple-time All-Pro and led the league in tackles twice, all while giving the Panthers a centerpiece on defense for years.
Kuechlys career also carries the kind of abrupt ending that still lingers in Panthers circles, since concussions forced him to retire early. After hanging up his cleats, he stayed close to the game in a brief scouting role before moving into broadcasting, where he later became a color commentator and now serves as the lead analyst for NFL games on Netflix. The Hall call only deepens his place in franchise history, even as his post-playing path shows how much of football hes still around without putting on a helmet. [Read more 🡒]