This has been a challenging training camp period for the Carolina Panthers. The team has seen several key players suffer injuries, and another player went down on Tuesday.
Tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders left practice early due to an ankle injury. After practice, head coach Dave Canales said that Sanders will undergo testing on his ankle, and the team should know more on Wednesday.
Sanders isn't the first Panther tight end to go down at camp. Last week, Mitchell Evans had to be carted off the field. Thankfully, that injury didn't turn out to be serious, and Evans has returned to the field.
Hopefully, the Sanders injury turns out the same way, because this tight end room needs all the help it can get.
Do Panthers Have Enough Depth at Tight End?
The Panthers didn't get much production from the tight end room last year, and how did they respond? Well, by running back the same group. Tommy Tremble, Evans, and Sanders are once again going to be the top three tight ends, assuming health.
None of that trio has ever had more than 342 yards in a season, so there's not much hope of the room being that much better in 2026. Most of the hope that does exist for the room is on the shoulders of Sanders.
The Panthers liked Sanders enough to use a fourth-round pick on him in 2024, and he did have a productive college career. For whatever reason, that has yet to translate to NFL production.
Will the Injuries Ever Stop?
Edge rusher Nic Scourton and wide receiver Chris Brazzell II already got hurt in camp, and both will miss the season. Starting tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton are both out, as is starting defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton.
So, already, the depth is being tested. That's not ideal, especially when you realize there's still a month until the season gets going. Luckily, this team is definitely deeper than it was last year, so they could definitely still compete despite the tough injury luck.
The biggest goal for the rest of the summer has to be simply to stay healthy. This is why Canales already revealed that none of the starters will play in Thursday's Hall of Fame game.
