Carolina Panthers: Chris Manhertz could be on the outside looking in

He needs to step up for the Carolina Panthers in 2019.

I certainly want every Carolina Panthers player on the roster to succeed. When everybody is able to find a role on the team, it makes for a better overall season. However, there are still some players who are going to be on the outside looking in come the fall. Carolina Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz is one of those players.

There is no doubt he can make contributions when called upon. Just take the Monday night football game against to the New Orleans Saints as an example. He scored a 50-yard touchdown pass on a beautifully thrown ball from Christian McCaffrey. It was only the fifth catch of his career, but there is no doubt he certainly made it count.

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Now heading into his third season, he is undoubtedly on the outside looking in. Greg Olsen still figures to be a factor at the position and Ian Thomas also figures to have a big role in the offense. The emergence of Thomas was a bit unforeseen. Granted, Thomas benefited from an unfortunate situation with the injury to Greg Olsen, but he certainly made his snaps count and gave Carolina Panthers fans a glimpse of what the tight end position may look like in the future.

This leaves Manhertz on the outside looking in for 2019. Perhaps his best contributions to the team will be as a blocking tight end. After all, the 2018 season was proof that you can never have enough protection for the quarterback. Nevertheless, it is probably not the role he wants. You wouldn’t know it by his quotes to the media, and he seems willing to take on any role that is given to him. As he told Stephen Taranto of 247Sports, he is just happy to be on the team, and will accept any role that comes his way.

"“Anyone would like to see the ball thrown their way more, but for me it’s just a matter of getting better every year, and I’ve been able to do that,” said Manhertz. “I have goals and aspirations to expand my game and have a bigger role on this team.”"

That flexibility may help him out in the long run. He is in a situation right now where he has to do whatever he can to stay on the team. The fact that he is physical is unquestioned. The fact that he can play when given the opportunity is also not the problem.

For him, it is all about getting the opportunities to succeed. Right now, he is on the outside looking in, and I don’t expect that situation to change anytime soon. For him, training camp will be important if he wants to achieve success.

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