After seven agonizing seasons where Carolina Panthers tight ends couldn’t even crack a mediocre 500 receiving yards, general manager Dan Morgan finally made a move. He went out and signed impatient veteran Darren Waller, a former Pro Bowler who is ready to add that much-needed extra offensive wrinkle for quarterback Bryce Young to exploit. The crazy part? Waller committed to the Panthers on August 12, a date he revealed was also his nine-year sobriety anniversary. “It was like the fact that those two coincided on that day was just something that you can’t really wrap your mind around as human beings,” Waller said, calling it a “double celebration.”
The Tight End Drought is Over, Or Is It?
Let’s be real, the Panthers’ tight end room has been… well, pretty quiet. Greg Olsen in 2019, with his 597 receiving yards, was the last tight end for the organization to hit at least 500 yards in a season. Think about that: seven years of barely anything from a key offensive position! Morgan himself said last spring during OTAs that he was confident in the top three returning tight ends and wouldn’t add anyone in the draft or free agency. Fast forward three weeks into training camp, and the Panthers brass did a complete 180. Waller, who returned from retirement last season, was a long-rumored preseason signing, waiting for his shot as the summer kept rolling on. When the Panthers called on August 12, he committed on the spot.
Waller’s Got the Juice, And He Knows It
This isn’t just some washed-up veteran, either. Once sober, Waller became one of the league’s top tight ends, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards in both 2019 and 2020. He was a 2020 Pro Bowler with career bests of 107 catches, 1,196 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. At 6-foot-6, 238 pounds, Waller, 33, brings the kind of size and mismatch potential that the trio of Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans largely struggled with. That group combined for just 75 receptions, 610 yards, and five touchdowns last season. Waller, in his comeback last year with the Dolphins, still put up 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns in nine outings. He’s feeling it, too, even after missing Monday’s practice. “I feel as good as I’ve felt in years right now,” Waller declared. “I feel like the training that I put in this offseason has allowed me to be, from an explosive speed (and) movement standpoint, where I was when people remember me at the peak of my career.” He even added, “I think my scoring potential was unlocked last year in ways that hadn’t been before.”
The Panthers’ first-team offense struggled big time during their second preseason outing, so adding a veteran like Waller, who clearly believes he’s still got that explosive Pro Bowl juice, is a huge deal. He’s ready to create mismatches and give Bryce Young a legitimate target. This isn’t just an “extra wrinkle,” folks, this is a potential game-changer that could ignite that offense.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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