The Carolina Panthers' first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 season lists Tommy Tremble first, Mitchell Evans second, and Ja'Tavion Sanders third, giving the team a clear top three tight ends heading into the preseason.
Or so we thought.
There is now another possible top dog. The Panthers are signing Darren Waller to a one-year deal, which shakes things up dramatically. While he may not be the Pro Bowl force of old, his arrival has the scope to push everyone else further down the pecking order.
Darren Waller instantly flips Carolina Panthers' tight end dynamic on its head
And what seemed like a foregone conclusion now becomes survival of the fittest.
Tremble appeared to have the inside track on the starting job, but that's not the case anymore. There is just no telling how the tight end dynamic will shake out from here, but general manager Dan Morgan clearly saw enough this summer to determine more was required.
Tremble led the Panthers' tight ends in 2025 with 27 receptions for 249 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This sort of production isn't exactly great for a TE1, but that’s not the point.
Carolina has consistently used its tight ends in the run game and as pieces who can move around the formation. In fact, the Panthers used three-tight-end personnel on 7.8 percent of their offensive plays in 2025, the sixth-highest rate in the NFL.
That makes Tremble's blocking and versatility really valuable. Another small thing to note is that he's also entering the final year of his current contract, making 2026 an important season for him individually.
And for all Waller's strengths in the passing game, he cannot block like Tremble.
Evans ended his rookie year with 19 receptions for 171 receiving yards and two scores. Now he's listed ahead of Sanders. That's a significant development, even if it doesn't necessarily mean he will receive more snaps than his teammate every week.
But with Waller now on board, anything can happen.
Sanders remains a major part of this equation. The 2024 fourth-round pick led Carolina's tight ends with 29 receptions for 342 receiving yards and a touchdown, but he hasn’t really looked the same since then. Carolina's acquisition of Waller could impact the Texas product more than anybody.
The Panthers may still have plans for him. He has been participating in offseason work, but if he was making any real strides, Morgan wouldn't have pulled the trigger on Waller.
With Tremble providing experience and blocking, Evans potentially emerging as the most well-rounded young option, and Waller becoming a factor in the passing game, that might be enough. It also means Carolina has three players who could carve out meaningful roles.
Where that leaves Sanders is anyone's guess. But this is a business above anything else.
And considering how much the Panthers already like using multiple tight ends, this has now become a pretty useful problem to have. Waller's arrival only adds to the intrigue.
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