Matt Rhule Expresses Some Serious Confidence in TE Chris Manhertz
This offseason, Carolina Panther fans said goodbye to one of the best tight ends in the game and a big piece of the core group that led the team to the Super Bowl in Greg Olsen. Now that Olsen is playing his final year of his career in Seattle, the Panthers have some extremely big shoes to fill. Obviously, Olsen hasn't been the same over the past couple of seasons, but his presence in the locker room was just as valuable as his presence on the field.
The leading candidate to take over as the new starter is Ian Thomas, who caught 16 balls last year for 136 yards and one touchdown. On Friday, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said that "it's his turn to really show it's his time to go play and show what he can do." However, Rhule did throw one interesting snippet in there about Thomas' counterpart, Chris Manhertz.
"I think Chris Manhertz has the chance to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the National Football League, if not the best. He's done a really nice job of improving as a pass catcher. I think that tight end position is really critical."
If you are not familiar with Manhertz, you'll realize sooner than later that the best attribute he brings to the table is his ability to block on the edge, down the field, and even in pass protection - he's just a really solid blocker and not much of a receiving tight end.
As good as Manhertz has been, it was a little shocking to hear Rhule say that he could be the best blocker in the game. That would be putting him in the same conversation as George Kittle, Hunter Henry, Darren Waller and a few others. Clearly, he doesn't have the same impact as those three do in the passing game, but still, some pretty lofty praise. If Manhertz can live up to those expectations, it should help limit the number of sacks and will make the offense much more efficient.
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