Carolina Panthers: 2020 end of season awards

Ian Thomas – Carolina Panthers TE

This was the big chance that Ian Thomas had been waiting for.

And he failed to make the most of it.

The Carolina Panthers took the difficult decision to part ways with Greg Olsen in free agency, who had been a tremendous asset in the passing game during his time with the organization. Thomas had shown some real promise during his first two years in the league as a rotational piece, so there was plenty of hope he could fill the Pro Bowler’s shoes with more in the ways of targets expected to come his way.

For some unbeknown reason, Thomas has been an afterthought.

The player hasn’t had anything like the volume of targets distributed in Olsen’s direction in recent years, which is a pretty damning indictment of what offensive coordinator Joe Brady and the rest of Carolina’s coaching staff thinks of him.

The writing is now on the wall for Thomas, with the Panthers sure to address the need for reinforcements at tight end during the offseason. Whether that comes during free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft is irrelevant from the former Indiana standout’s perspective and if he is cast aside once again, it will be a season he’ll look back on with a tremendous sense of regret.