Ja'Tavion Sanders has yet to play a single regular-season snap in 2026, falling behind Tommy Tremble, Darren Waller, Mitchell Evans, and Feleipe Franks on the Carolina Panthers depth chart.
It's a pretty disappointing development for a player the Panthers selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Now, with the trade deadline approaching, Sanders is drawing speculation as a possible trade candidate.
Carolina Panthers could regret trading Ja'Tavion Sanders before the deadline
But the Panthers would be selling Sanders at his absolute lowest value. And for a sixth-round pick or even a pick swap, is that really worth it?
There's a reason Sanders has fallen out of favor in Carolina.
Through his first two NFL seasons, Sanders recorded 62 receptions for 532 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers aren't terrible, but they certainly haven't been enough to establish him as a reliable contributor in head coach Dave Canales' offense.
And his situation has only gotten worse this season.
Sanders was a healthy scratch for each of Carolina's first six games, with the coaching staff consistently choosing Tremble, Waller, Evans, and Franks over him.
Tremble is a better blocker, Evans has developed into a useful contributor, and Waller gives quarterback Bryce Young a veteran receiving option. Meanwhile, Franks offers special teams value that Sanders hasn't been able to match.
It's understandable why the Panthers have gone in another direction.
Carolina Panthers' uncertain tight end situation beyond 2026 could give Ja'Tavion Sanders hope
Sure, he has struggled to translate it into consistent NFL production, and his lack of playing time this season is concerning. But he's also just 23, with another year left on his rookie contract.
For a team still trying to develop its young offensive core, that should count for something.
The biggest issue with trading Sanders is what Carolina would actually receive in return, which would be next to nothing.
That's a pretty small return for someone who was considered one of the more intriguing receiving tight ends in the 2024 draft class.
And while the Panthers have clearly found other options they prefer right now, their long term situation at tight end isn't exactly settled.
Waller is 33 years old and playing on a one-year contract. Tremble has established himself as a useful piece of the offense, but he isn't exactly a dominant receiving threat, and he is also out of contract next year. Evans is still developing after entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2025.
There's room for another young tight end to eventually carve out a role. Sanders also has something the Carolina Panthers could use more of: Receiving upside.
Unless another team makes an offer that's genuinely worth considering, the Panthers would be better off keeping him around and seeing whether he can turn things around.
Because if Sanders eventually develops into a productive receiving tight end somewhere else, Carolina could look back at a sixth-round pick and wonder why it was in such a hurry to move on.
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