4 burning questions for the Carolina Panthers at tight end in 2021
By Dean Jones
What are some burning questions facing the Carolina Panthers at tight end heading into the 2021 season?
There wasn’t much doubt that the Carolina Panthers were going to miss Greg Olsen. His departure in 2020 free agency was tinged with sadness, but the organization felt that the time was right to part ways with another prominent player and locker room leader during the same offseason as Luke Kuechly retired and quarterback Cam Newton was unceremoniously released.
The Panthers had been spoilt by supreme consistency from the tight end position ever since Olsen joined the team. Without him, contributions from this area of the field were almost non-existent.
This is something that didn’t exactly do Carolina any favors. Especially considering quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s preference for checking things down rather than taking shots downfield.
Hopefully, these problems might be a thing of the past this time around. The Panthers deserve credit for not sitting on their hands in the pursuit of progression, acquiring some notable reinforcements who could add plenty to the team in 2021 and beyond.
The tight end spot continues to grow in importance in almost every passing scheme across the league. One only has to look at options with the leading contenders from the position to see just how beneficial it is.
Carolina had that with Olsen, obviously. But father time waits for no man and now is an opportunity for others to stand up and be counted.
With this in mind, here are four burning questions facing the Panthers at tight end in 2021.