Why Darren Waller Could Be an Absolute Steal For the Panthers

Panthers' offense could see a big boost with the veteran tight end jumping on board

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The Carolina Panthers were among the most aggressive teams in the NFL during the offseason. However, most of the money spent by Carolina in the offseason was spent on the defensive side of the ball.

On offense, Carolina entered training camp with the idea of a leap coming in 2026. Bryce Young is developing further, Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks are sharing backfield duties, and the receiving core is continuing to trend upward after a strong end to the season from Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker

There's always been one hole, though, one glaring position group that needed an upgrade. That's the tight ends room. Mitchell Evans, Tommy Tremble, and Ja'Tavion Sanders make up what's widely viewed as the worst tight ends room in the NFL.

Those three tight ends combined for just over 600 yards total in 2025; Tremble led the room in receiving yards with 249.

That's abysmal. Carolina was linked to tight ends such as Jonnu Smith and David Njoku, but didn't sign either. Long overdue, the Panthers finally signed a veteran tight end in Darren Waller. While he's no spring chicken, he could be a game-changer for Carolina's offense.

Why Darren Waller Can Open Up Carolina's Offense

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Waller played just nine games in 2025. In those nine games, Carolina's new tight end totaled 6 touchdowns, which is more than the entire Panthers tight ends room posted, with 5.

Waller also posted more receiving yards than any of Carolina's tight ends individually, with 283. Throughout his career, Waller has been an outstanding pass-catching tight end who has unique vertical speed and can burn defenses in the red zone.

Not only did Waller put up solid box score stats in his limited action, but purely as a receiver, Waller excelled more than almost all tight ends in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus grades tight ends overall for their seasons, but also in specific categories like receiving and blocking. As a receiver, Waller graded the second-highest in the NFL, finishing his 2025 campaign with an 87.6. The only tight end who graded higher was George Kittle of the 49ers, who happens to be a consensus top-five tight end in the NFL.

Waller had the SECOND best receiving grade (87.6) among TE last season pic.twitter.com/ZwWlXO6csw

— PFF (@PFF) August 18, 2026

If Waller makes the final roster, which is still an if, then he adds a new element to the Panthers' red zone offense that already was good, ranking 14th in 2025. Waller still has time to gel with Bryce Young, and learn Brad Idziks offense before Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.