The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football pushed the Carolina Panthers to the NFC South summit. They still have to handle their business, but two wins over the next fortnight will book a long-awaited playoff berth.
And as this team stares at its most straightforward postseason path in nearly a decade, one truth is becoming obvious inside the building: someone unexpected is about to matter. Someone the rest of the league hasn’t paid attention to yet.
That someone could be rookie tight end Mitchell Evans, and his breakout may be arriving right on cue.
Carolina Panthers could expand Mitchell Evans' role down the stretch
Carolina entered the season expecting Ja’Tavion Sanders to be the modern receiving weapon in Dave Canales’ offense. And for about 10 weeks, that was the case. But against the Los Angeles Rams, his snap share dipped to a season-low 48 percent with no targets.
In a division race this tight, Carolina doesn’t have time to wait for the version of Sanders they imagined. What they do have is a rookie seizing his moment.
Evans was supposed to be a developmental fifth-round pick from Notre Dame. Instead, Week 13 offered a snapshot of what he’s becoming. He led all Panthers tight ends in targets, receptions, and yards against the Rams, catching all three passes thrown his way and out-snapping Sanders 53% to 48%.
But that wasn’t a one-week showing.
Through 13 games, Evans has caught 14 of 18 targets for 138 receiving yards. He's scored two touchdowns —more than the rest of Carolina’s tight ends combined. The first-year pro has shown the most consistent hands, the cleanest routes, and the steadiest blocking of the entire group. More importantly, he's earned trust in high-leverage packages, something rookies rarely do under Canales.
He looks like a player who knows the ball is coming and plays like it. And internally, coaches believe he’s the tight end who has earned snaps.
Evans already checks the traits Canales covets: finish, physicality, assignment discipline, and catch-point toughness. What he hasn’t had yet is volume. That may change immediately.
With Sanders fading and Tommy Tremble locked in primarily as a blocker, Carolina suddenly needs a pass-game stabilizer in the middle of the field. They need someone quarterback Bryce Young trusts on third down and in the red zone.
Evans fits every one of those needs. There’s a belief inside the building that the bye week came at the perfect time for him, as it gave the staff a chance to expand his role formally. If the Panthers are going to win the division and snap their eight-year playoff drought, they’ll need someone unexpected to play above his draft slot.
Every sign points to Evans becoming that player.