Who is going to get the most reps?

I mean, this is really it, right? Ian Thomas is the stalwart. The Carolina Panthers and Thomas agreed on a restructured one-year contract that Thomas will play on in 2024.  His plus blocking skills make him an asset in the run game that reminds me of former Panthers tight end Chris Manhertz. Thomas will rarely make an impact in the passing game, but for a new Panthers regime that is hyping up a potent ground game, Thomas surely will be in the plans.

On the opposite side of the spectrum resides rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders. The Ringer’s Danny Kelly compared Sanders to Chargers tight end Gerald Everett and described him as “a rugged, pass catching tight end with extremely strong hands and top-tier physicality at the catch point.” For decades rookie tight ends entered the league with meager expectations of impactful statistical output, but recent NFL freshmen like Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts, and Dalton Kincaid have paved the way for pass-catching threats like Sanders to have an immediate impact.

Between those two lies Tommy Tremble. The SPARQ-score savant who’s athleticism pops off the screen. Tremble isn’t nearly as refined of a blocker as Thomas, or nearly as impactful in the passing game as Sanders projects to be, but the Notre Dame product is the perfect middle ground as a versatile piece on the offense.

Head coach Dave Canales’ choice at tight end is reminiscent of the one Goldilocks faced. Two extremes in different directions, and one squarely in the middle. For Goldilocks, the middle choice was just right. For Canales, he may see the value in all three depending on the situation.

I believe the pecking order in number of snaps will be Tremble > Sanders > Thomas. At least to start. Tremble’s athleticism and versatility can be weaponized by smart minds like Canales and Brad Idzik, and his impact on both facets of an offense (pass and run) make him valuable. Behind him, Sanders will be the pure pass-catching tight end. He may not accumulate the statistics that Dalton Kincaid racked up as a rookie in Buffalo, but their deployment could be similar.

In Buffalo, Dawson Knox did most of the grunt work while Kincaid was used as a weapon in the passing game. In Carolina, Tremble and Thomas will carry the load in paving the way for their talented stable of backs while Sanders develops a rapport with quarterback Bryce Young.

What does a successful rookie season for Sanders look like?

Earlier this summer I projected out the stats for every offensive position group on the Panthers (Check out Bryce Young here, the running backs here, and the wide receivers here), but failed to do tight ends. The uncertainty of the position makes it hard to know who is going to be taking snaps, and it felt like a fools errand to project Tremble, Sanders, or Thomas for anything without at least seeing how training camp shakes out. Earlier I said that Sanders could have a rookie season reminiscent of Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid, but I don’t mean statistically. Kincaid’s 73 receptions, 673 yards, and two touchdowns is a monster rookie season for a tight end. If Sanders put up numbers like that I would be blown away.

I believe a successful rookie season for Sanders would look statistically like 30 catches, 375 yards, and a couple of touchdowns. That statistical output would be about what Tremble and Hayden Hurst combined for last season. If Sanders is able to build a rapport with Bryce Young and become a consistent, sure-handed target for the sophomore quarterback, I would call Sanders’ freshman season a success no matter what his statistics turn out to be.