Carolina Panthers: Ian Thomas is taking a backseat
The Carolina Panthers tight end is warming the bench for now.
Sometimes, seasons do not go the way you plan. Just ask Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas. He has never publicly said anything about this season, so I’m not trying to put words in his mouth. Rather, I figured he would have a big role.
The reason I thought this was because of the uncertain health of Greg Olsen. It turns out Olsen is feeling just fine. He is having a great 2019 season, and I do not expect him to be slowing down anytime soon. For comparisons sake, Olsen has recorded 18 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. His best game of the season in terms of yards came against Tampa Bay on September 12. In that contest, he recorded six catches for 110 yards, averaging 18.33 yards per catch.
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He has also managed to find the end zone twice. Both of those end zone occurrences came against Arizona. For those who need a refresher, Olsen caught six passes for 75 yards in addition to those two touchdowns. The point here is, I do not see Olsen slowing down anytime soon. As a result of Olsen’s production, Thomas has been forced to take a bit of a lesser role.
In Sunday’s game against the Texans, Thomas only played 10 snaps, the same amount as Chris Manhertz. So far, Thomas only has had one pass thrown his way this season. I was hoping to see him a little bit more involved in the offense, but I understand why that’s not happening. Olsen has proven to regain his competitive form. Putting Olsen on the bench would be stupid, and as result, someone has to be the odd man out at tight end. So far, it appears to be Thomas.
Thomas stepped up nicely for Olsen after the latter’s injury. Had it not been for the injury, Thomas would have probably seen the field in minimal action in 2018. This signifies that it is not Thomas’s time yet. His time will come sooner rather than later. As for right now however, Olsen is still the top tight end for Carolina. It is great to see as Olsen has been a mainstay on the Carolina Panthers offense for years.
As the Carolina Panthers head into week five looking to get above .500,the offense appears to be clicking at the moment. Unfortunately, that means less playing time for some individuals and Thomas fits into that category.