Hayden Hurst is Excited to Play in a 'Very Tight End Friendly' Offense
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New Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst hasn't been given the full green light yet as he continues to work his way back from a hernia injury but he is set to get in some light work today at OTAs.
Yesterday, Hurst spoke with the media and gave an update on where he is in his recovery and how important it is for him to get on the field right now, even if it's not in the competitive part of practice.
"I feel pretty good. Battling with a groin hernia surgery that I had right after the AFC Championship game. I played with it all year since Week 1. Just going through it mechanically figuring out how to run healthy again. Should be in walkthrough and routes on air Friday. It's fun to get back out there and get back in the mix.
"It's important to get out there and knock the rust off. I mean, that's what spring ball is for. But my goal right now is to get healthy. I want to play in all 17 games. I didn't do that last year and it's a big goal of mine this year, so I'm just focused on getting healthy."
Statistically, Hurst hasn't been someone that jumps off the page but he's been consistent as a pass catcher throughout his career, hauling in over 71% of his targets. Ian Thomas has a career catch percentage of 65.8% while Tommy Tremble sits at 58.2% through his first two seasons, meaning Hurst is without a doubt the best receiving threat on the roster, and certainly, since the team parted ways with Greg Olsen a few years back.
But in this offense, Hurst could blossom into one of the better receiving tight ends in the league. He noted the history of tight ends in Frank Reich's offense along with having Bryce Young under center as two reasons why he is excited about his role in Carolina.
"Very tight end friendly. When you're in the red zone, it's very tight end centric. I think everything kind of goes through that especially when you have a young quarterback. It's exciting to be in those progressions and in those reads," Hurst said. "I think you just look at his track record and what he's done with all those tight ends, those Fs. [Antonio] Gates, [Zach] Ertz, Eric Ebron when he was in Indy. Being that hybrid, it's fun. You can move all over the place. You can be at one, two, three. You can be isolated on the backside, so it's fun. It's a good offense to be a part of."
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