A healthy Chris Manhertz make tight end position scarier

With Manhertz now healthy, the depth at tight end just got stronger for the Carolina Panthers….

The Carolina Panthers are getting a reinforcement back at tight end. Per multiple media reports, Chris Manhertz has been taken off the PuP list after passing his physical and as a result, he is now back on the active roster. This move was first reported by Bill Voth of Panthers.com

It has been a while since Manhertz has been able to play. As some of you may recall, he broke a bone in his foot toward the end of minicamp and has been watching from the sidelines ever since.

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He is not going to put up monster numbers, but having him available at the position is great news in terms of depth. In his National Football League career, Manhertz has recorded three catches for 27 yards. Many (myself included) figured that he would have a big year in 2018.

Per Steve Taranto of 247Sports, Manhertz will probably be the No. 3 tight end behind Ian Thomas and Greg Olsen. That is music to my ears right there. Manhertz is not going to make the Pro Bowl any time soon, but he still has tremendous potential and upside. Thomas has really burst onto the scene and we all know what Olsen can do. To put it simply, the Carolina Panthers are loaded at the tight end position.

That is certainly a good thing, especially when you consider that Norv Turner is the offensive coordinator. He has been known to make the tight end a major part of his offense. Just look at the success Antonio Gates had. Manhertz will probably not be the next Antonio Gates but my point is that Turner knows how to maximize the effectiveness of his tight ends.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of packages the offense will feature with Manhertz now back in the fold. He gives the Carolina Panthers more options to throw at a defense. He should still be able to have a very good season. Now that he is fully healthy and ready to go, he should still be able to contribute to the offense despite being lower on the depth chart. I would expect to see him in two tight end sets throughout the course of the season.

An already dangerous Carolina Panthers offense just got that much stronger for the opener. With the Cowboys sporting names like Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, Carolina will have to have a strong offensive attack of their own.

As the excitement surrounding this game builds, Week 1 can’t come soon enough.