3 Carolina Panthers players who could see a depth chart demotion soon
By Dean Jones
Ian Thomas – Carolina Panthers TE
Although the Carolina Panthers traded Dan Arnold to the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the C.J. Henderson move, it might not be the biggest vote of confidence in Ian Thomas.
The former fourth-round selection had his chance to become Greg Olsen’s successor in 2020 and failed to deliver, so it might not be much longer before Tommy Tremble is installed as TE1.
Tremble has the physicality and athleticism that could be the total package with a little more refinement in the passing game. Carolina clearly has big plans for the Notre Dame product, so throwing him in at the deep end might be a risk worth taking now Arnold is no longer part of the equation.
There is still a role to play for Thomas this season.
He might be a non-factor in the passing game for whatever reason. But his blocking has made some encouraging strides and the Panthers need all the help they can get in this area of the field.
Thomas is out of contract next spring and whether he comes back or not is yet to be determined.
Carolina hasn’t given up on the player just yet, but Tremble is clearly being earmarked for a bigger role in the very near future that could leave him surplus to requirements in 2022.