Canales on TE spot from Char observer

[raleigh-panther]

Could this be real or smokescreen

 or Warren, come on down

Panthers’ Canales putting emphasis on versatility as Carolina looks to evolve TE spot

BY MIKE KAYE

[email protected]

11hrs ago

Dave Canales doesn’t want one-note tight ends in his offense.

As the second-year head coach continues to evolve his playbook in Carolina, he’s prioritizing versatility at a key spot on the Panthers’ depth chart. While wide receiver upgrades have become a popular topic in the Queen City, especially on social media, the folks on Mint Street might have a better shot at improving their overall offensive attack with a facelift at tight end.

With Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas headed to free agency later this month, Ja’Tavion Sanders — last year’s fourth-round pick — is the only notable player under contract at the position in 2025. And the lack of solidified players on the depth chart offers up an opportunity to further craft the position in Canales’ image.

The offensive play-caller painted a crystal-clear picture of that image last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“Versatility and toughness, first and foremost,” Canales said. “We’re going to run the ball, so we certainly can’t just take receiving tight ends who give you no value in the run game. At a minimum, this has to be a guy that’s really tough. It doesn’t mean that he’s got to be the 260-pound bruiser that plays in-line. Those guys are cool, too, but if he’s going to be 235 pounds, he has to play with the level of violence because we are going to run the ball a lot. So the versatility is really important for me at the tight end.”
 

While the veteran free agency class isn’t particularly stocked with notable names that fit that standard, the NFL Draft, according to most media evaluators, has a plethora of those versatile talents, most notably Penn State tight end Tyler Warren.

Canales sees a Swiss Army knife of sorts when he watches film the 6-foot-6, 261-pound playmaker.

“I think he’s an incredible player,” Canales said. “I think speaking of versatility, here’s a guy that can play close to the interior and play physical because of his sheer size, but then, he does create some mismatches in the pass game, you can hand him the ball. So if you look at some of the teams that are using tight ends for QB sneak — that would be a weapon for somebody in a short-yardage situation to utilize him. So, he’s a very interesting prospect.”
Warren — who is currently projected as a top-10 prospect by Pro Football Focus — produced 1,233 receiving yards, 218 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns (including a passing score) last year for the Nittany Lions. He might be gone by the time the Panthers pick at No. 8 in the first round, or Carolina might prioritize another position with that selection

And if the Panthers pass on Warren, they’ll still have plenty of strong options during the rest of draft weekend. Michigan’s Colston Loveland, Texas’s Gunnar Helm, and Miami’s Elijah Arroyo are all projected as top-100 picks. All three would add a playmaking threat to Canales’ offensive play-calling concoction.

There’s also Tremble, whom both Canales and general manager Dan Morgan openly expressed desire in bringing back during their time at the combine last week. 

Tremble dealt with nagging injuries throughout last season, but still produced a career-high 234 receiving yards. He also has the blocking and receiving versatility that Canales craves.

But the Panthers want to make sure they get a fair deal done for both sides. Sometimes, that’s not as easy as it sounds.

“Yeah, it’s a challenge, right? Because you want continuity,” Canales said. “Talk about a guy like Tommy Tremble. We’re going through all of our film and he does such a great job. So, now it’s all of a sudden it’s like, in all fairness, like, ‘Let’s let Tommy see what’s out there from a free agency standpoint.’ But for me it’s like, ‘OK, we have these guys that we’ve trained for a year, and you’d love to have them back.’”

Sanders set a new franchise rookie record with 342 receiving yards last season. He also improved as a blocker from his college days. While he has shown he can be a key cog in the Carolina offense, the Panthers aren’t going to just settle for continuity, even if that’s seemingly a foundational priority for Canales.

Bringing back Sanders and Tremble with minimal enhancement otherwise would be a disservice to the offense’s evolution. Canales knows that and Morgan knows that.

[Basbear]

3 WRs

2 RBs

2 Cs

OL depth

2 TE

4 DL

2 edges

3 safety

2 LBs

1-2 CBs

1 Kicker

1 Punter

1 KR

1 PR

 

Basically need a whole team....

Edited March 3, 2025 by Basbear

[jayboogieman]

25 minutes ago, raleigh-panther said:

Could this be real or smokescreen

This team hasn't done any sort of smokecreen under Tepper. Under Tepper where there has been smoke, there's been fire.

[Camp Fodder]

Warren could be the pick

[mrcompletely11]

7 minutes ago, jayboogieman said:

This team hasn't done any sort of smokecreen under Tepper. Under Tepper where there has been smoke, there's been fire.

https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/xavier-legette-reveals-what-panthers-told-him-about-pick-33

oof

“I’ve met with the Panthers about four or five times. The relationship, it just keep continuing to grow. They really hoping that I can make it to the second round. They keep on telling me if I’m sitting at (pick) 33, they’re going to take me.”

 

I get Morgan and DC were green last year but come on man, you know better then this

 

[frankw]

5 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/xavier-legette-reveals-what-panthers-told-him-about-pick-33

oof

“I’ve met with the Panthers about four or five times. The relationship, it just keep continuing to grow. They really hoping that I can make it to the second round. They keep on telling me if I’m sitting at (pick) 33, they’re going to take me.”

 

I get Morgan and DC were green last year but come on man, you know better then this

 

Yeah our FO has absolutely no poker face when it comes to the draft. This should be plainly obvious to anyone paying attention.

But all that aside as for the topic at hand if we pick Warren I think he will be a stud for us.

[raleigh-panther]

8 minutes ago, Camp Fodder said:

Warren could be the pick

I swear…im starting  to think so

 

[jayboogieman]

11 minutes ago, frankw said:

But all that aside as for the topic at hand if we pick Warren I think he will be a stud for us.

 

9 minutes ago, raleigh-panther said:

I swear…im starting  to think so

 

I hope so on both counts. I like Warren as a prospect better than any of the others that have been listed as top 10 guys.

[mrcompletely11]

2 minutes ago, jayboogieman said:

 

I hope so on both counts. I like Warren as a prospect better than any of the others that have been listed as top 10 guys.

when is the last te picked in the top 10 that hit?

[La Pantera]

TE in the first doesn’t make sense. This is a deep overall TE class. There will be talented TEs in the 2nd/3rd rounds.

Bowers is the only one in recent memory took in the 1st, that has panned out.
 

[Waldo]

23 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/xavier-legette-reveals-what-panthers-told-him-about-pick-33

oof

“I’ve met with the Panthers about four or five times. The relationship, it just keep continuing to grow. They really hoping that I can make it to the second round. They keep on telling me if I’m sitting at (pick) 33, they’re going to take me.”

 

I get Morgan and DC were green last year but come on man, you know better then this

 

That and they also had terrible taste last year. Taking a blocking TE at 8 is a good way to get fired. I need to see this guys numbers because he looked slow on tape and thst was against college players

[mrcompletely11]

4 minutes ago, Waldo said:

That and they also had terrible taste last year. Taking a blocking TE at 8 is a good way to get fired. I need to see this guys numbers because he looked slow on tape and thst was against college players

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/fans-in-disbelief-over-video-of-nfl-owners-wife-assisting-with-draft-picks

[jayboogieman]

1 minute ago, mrcompletely11 said:

when is the last te picked in the top 10 that hit?

Don't care. Dude proved he could carry an offense this past season and that's about all you can ask for from a college prospect.

[mrcompletely11]

1 minute ago, jayboogieman said:

Don't care. Dude proved he could carry an offense this past season and that's about all you can ask for from a college prospect.

you should care, thats the exact point.  There is something called analytics, odds, past history etc that lay out quite clearly that taking a TE in the first much less in the goddamn top 10 is fuging moronic and pans out about 5% of the time if that