The Carolina Panthers have had an interesting week since their walk-off victory in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game. And one decision has now exposed a glaring offseason miscalculation from general manager Dan Morgan.
Pending a physical, the Panthers are expected to sign Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to a one-year contract. These types of moves are ones the team has rarely made during this portion of the offseason, with Week 1 about a month away.
While the biggest question is why the Panthers signed Waller now, another glaring inquiry should be at the forefront of this conversation.
Carolina Panthers signed Darren Waller to fix their offseason mistake
That question is why Morgan chose not to sign a big-name free agent in March or select a younger tight end during the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The decision to go in this direction only to change course during training camp is noteworthy, to say the least.
I have always had concerns with the Panthers' tight end room. There is no true standout to point at, even with the flashes we have seen from Tommy Tremble for the last **checks notes** five years since entering the league.
Not to mention, Mitchell Evans is still growing as a player, and Ja'Tavion Sanders is seemingly unable to return to his pre-neck-injury level of play, which is probably the catalyst for this signing.
The Panthers had an ample opportunity to sign someone like Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, or David Njoku in free agency. We saw tight end prospects fly off the draft board this spring without any push for any of them.
Morgan and head coach Dave Canales chose to see what steps their returning players could make and stick with a committee for the season. Entering Week 1 of the preseason, the Panthers weren't seeing the progress they had hoped for from Sanders, their fourth-round pick in 2024, who has a skill set similar to Waller's.
I respect this approach, similar to what the Panthers have in mind for the No. 2 inside linebacker role. They may have wanted to see what progress was made from both positions, and now they are getting their answers.
If they're not the right answers, Morgan has no problem shaking things up if he feels like it can benefit the team.
This isn't necessarily a career-killer for Sanders, who has a chance of making the 53-man roster. However, his short-term outlook may take a hit thanks to Waller's arrival.
Waller and Sanders will compete for the "move" tight end role, with the former offering an advantage due to experience, production, and impact from a year ago.
But this all comes back to Morgan delaying what some fans believed was always inevitable.
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