Tommy Tremble has spent all season sitting at the top of Carolina’s tight end depth chart, even if not everybody has treated him like the Panthers’ true TE1.
That’s easy enough to see. Darren Waller is the bigger name, and Mitchell Evans is the younger player people are eager to watch. Tremble, meanwhile, has mostly filled the dirty-work role: block, shift around, do whatever Carolina asks.
Against Philadelphia, though, he gave the Panthers exactly what they needed and then some.
Tremble caught just four passes, but those four grabs went for 46 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina’s 25-14 win. His first score came from 12 yards out in the second quarter. The second was the one that really mattered.
With Philadelphia having trimmed the margin to 19-14 and the game starting to tilt late, Carolina got the ball back in favorable field position. Bryce Young hit Tremble for a 19-yard touchdown that effectively put things away.
It was the first two-touchdown game of Tremble’s career. He now has 13 touchdown catches with Carolina, the fourth-most by a tight end in franchise history.
Not everything he did showed up in the box score either.
On a fourth-and-1 during Carolina’s 94-yard touchdown drive in the second half, Tremble lined up at fullback in front of Chuba Hubbard, who burst through for 19 yards. Later, the Panthers used the same look on another fourth-and-1, only this time they never had to run a play. Young used a hard count to get Philadelphia to jump.
That versatility is a big reason Tremble keeps staying on the field. Carolina can move him around and use him in a bunch of different ways.
Even with Waller and Evans available Sunday, Tremble played the most snaps of the three. He was on the field for 54 offensive snaps, compared with 43 for Evans and 36 for Waller.
None of that suddenly turns Tremble into a volume receiver every week. Through five games, he has 15 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and that probably won’t ever be the centerpiece of his game.
But in Philadelphia, the Panthers got the full version of what he offers. He helped in the run game, hauled in everything thrown his way, and finished with two touchdowns. When Carolina needed a late answer, Young found him.
Maybe Sunday was the first time that really felt undeniable.
In Other News...
Panthers Catch A Break As Buccaneers Face A New Offensive Problem
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For Carolina, that changes the shape of a matchup already carrying plenty of weight. Tampa Bay still has options on offense, but losing Egbuka removes one of the pieces that has helped stretch defenses, and the Panthers will go into the game knowing the Buccaneers are facing a new wrinkle as they try to sort out their attack. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Trade Deadline Pressure Is Suddenly Building In One Spot
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For a team with postseason hopes, the concern is less about surviving one game than about whether the current mix can hold up against the better passing attacks still left on the schedule. Carolina has enough incentive to keep looking for help, and cornerback is the one place where a midseason addition could change the feel of the defense almost immediately. The question now is whether the Panthers can find the right piece in time to stabilize a position that has suddenly gone from manageable to urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Decision On Defense
With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson both dealing with injuries, the Panthers have suddenly found themselves weighing whether to add cornerback help before the trade deadline. It is the kind of defensive wrinkle that can change the temperature of a season quickly, especially for a team trying to keep its secondary intact while staying flexible enough to handle what comes next.
One name being floated is Alontae Taylor, giving Carolina a possible fit if it decides to look beyond internal options. The problem is the same one that shadows so many deadline ideas: salary cap realities. Nothing has been confirmed, but the Panthers do appear to be staring at a decision point that could shape the back end of their defense. [Read more 🡒]