With the Panthers offseason underway and free agency just a couple months away, let’s take a look at some of the areas on the roster that Dan Morgan and Brandt Tillis have to address this offseason. Instead of looking at the entire roster, we are going to break the list down by position group. For the projected market value, I’ll be using Spotrac’s numbers. If you don’t agree with how much a player might get in free agency, take it up with them, not me. This week’s focus will be on the tight ends.
2025 Performance
The Panthers did not have a dominant performance from their tight end group in the receiving game once again this season, which has been true for several years. The unit combined for 78 catches on 99 targets, only managing 638 receiving yards (8.1 yards per reception). Tommy Tremble had the group’s best yards per catch average, largely due to an outlier of 54 yards. The most consistent contributor was Mitchell Evans, the rookie. He averaged nine yards per catch with only two 20+ yard receptions, including a long of just 25 yards. Evans also had the lowest average depth of target for the unit at just 3.6 (ignoring James Mitchell’s three targets). JT Sanders might have put up decent numbers had he not missed four games due to injury. He led the tight ends in most per-game stats including targets, receptions, and yards. Evans was also a pleasant surprise in run blocking, earning a 77.4 run blocking grade per PFF, the highest of the three main tight ends.
While this unit has some talent, each player has a specific niche. The group still lacks an overall threat, someone who can be a better receiver than the other three AND a better blocker than the other three. As it stands now, the Panthers often tip their hand based on personnel groupings due to the specific talents each tight end has.
Panthers’ Free Agents (with Spotrac expected market value)
James Mitchell (n/a)
None of the Panthers top tight ends are free agents, but their depth piece/practice squad guy, James Mitchell, is a restricted free agent. Mitchell will likely receive a tender from the team, and I doubt another team will give up a day three pick to poach him. That being said, Tommy Tremble could be a cap casualty. Releasing Tremble before March 15th would save the Panthers $5.84M in 2026 cap space with just over $2M in dead cap. If the team likes a player in the draft and/or a potential free agent, they could make that type of move.
Other Teams’ Free Agents (with Spotrac expected market value)
Chig Okonkwo, Titans ($11.8M)
Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($10.8M)
David Njoku, Browns ($10M)
Isaiah Likely, Ravens ($8.8M)
Noah Fant, Bengals ($3.2M)
There are several former first round picks set to hit the open market at the tight end position. The vast majority have not quite lived up to expectations, and each has a glaring hole, or more than one, to their game. Okonkwo was a fourth round pick and is still quite young. He averaged about 50 catches and 500 receiving yards per season with the Titans in spite of their, let’s call it, inconsistent quarterback play. He did not grade out well according to PFF this season (just 59.9 overall) but had a solid year as a pass catcher (67.1). The youth and upside are why he’d likely demand such a high AAV on a contract. Familiar foe Kyle Pitts is a former top ten pick who has played for the division rival Atlanta Falcons for five seasons now. Pitts will likely demand a large contract because he is a big name, still very young, and just put up his best season as a pro (88 catches for 928 yards, 73.6 overall PFF grade).
Njoku is almost 30 years old but did have a Pro Bowl season just a few years ago. That Pro Bowl season plus Cleveland’s quarterback situation will likely help Njoku land a pretty sizeable contract despite a down year with some injury issues. Likely went to Coastal Carolina, so we can claim him as a local kid. Likely is still only 25, but he had a down year this year as he battled a foot injury since the preseason. If healthy, he could get a decent contract on the open market if the Ravens let him test the waters.
A more realistic option (unless the Panthers free up some cap space and really take a swing at this position) would be someone like Noah Fant. Fant is another former first rounder and hasn’t quite hit 30. He would be a similar player to JT Sanders, though, as Fant is a notoriously poor blocker and really only provides value as a receiving threat. His first season in Cincinnati was definitely a downer, likely made worse by Joe Burrow’s injury. The “approaching 30” and down year will likely push Fant’s contract into a more affordable range.
The true targets in free agency for the Panthers should be Taysom Hill from the Saints and Ian Thomas from the Raiders. Just kidding, but could you imagine? The fanbase might literally riot, and not in the Roaring kind of way.
