Popular post-draft free agent dream is officially dead for the Panthers — what Carolina does from here might not excite fans
The Carolina Panthers continue to be quiet on the tight end front after watching free agent David Njoku sign with the Los Angeles Chargers and fans aren’t going to be happy about the reasoning behind it.
Since Dan Morgan took over as the general manager of the Carolina Panthers, the offense has basically ignored the tight end position in terms of acquiring top talent at the position and actually making it a focal point in the passing game.
During the 2025 season, Carolina’s offense ranked 30th with 638 yards from the tight end position. With a young quarterback in Bryce Young, having a reliable big-bodied target over the middle should be a benefit for his development.
Fans thought this was finally going to be the offseason Morgan invested in bringing a top option to the room, whether that was in free agency or in the draft with many experts linking the Panthers to Kenyon Sadiq in the first-round. Ultimately, not a single tight end was added to the roster, so far.
And the Panthers just sat idle again as another top name landed with a different team Monday morning.
Carolina Panthers top fan-favorite target, David Njoku, signs with the Los Angeles Chargers
Free agent tight end David Njoku agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers that’s only worth up to $8 million, a bargain deal for a player with over 4,000 career yards and 34 career touchdowns.
Even before the draft, Njoku was a top free agent target fans wanted to see Morgan bring to Carolina. He would have been an immediate upgrade to the room and seeing the final price tag he landed on the market likely makes Carolina fans sick to see this morning.
What would make fans even more upset about the outlook of the tight end position is what Morgan had to say following the draft.
Carolina Panthers don’t seem to be interested in adding to the TE room
“We have a lot of confidence in the guys that are on our roster,” Morgan explained. “I said that before [the draft]. . . We have some guys that we’re excited about. We’ll always look for avenues to make the roster better, if we feel like we need to figure out tight end and bring a different skillset in, then we’ll do that. But, right now, we feel good about it.”
With Njoku now off the market, those avenues are quickly drying up for the Panthers to find a real upgrade. Currently, the team’s tight end room consists of Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders, James Mitchell, Feleipe Franks, and Bryce Pierre.
Of that group, Evans brings the most upside. The 2025 undrafted free agent had 171 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie while playing 393 offensive snaps. Perhaps he’s one the staff would like to see continue developing before bringing an outside face in that would limit the opportunities he could have.
If the Panthers get through OTAs and decide they need to bring in an external player, the top options are looking like Jonnu Smith, Zach Ertz, and Darren Waller. Not exactly the most exciting pool out there, so fans shouldn’t expect any move happening at this point.