History appeared to repeat itself for a former Notre Dame star, but optimism remains high after the early injury scare
Former Notre Dame star tight end Mitchell Evans has an early injury scare for the Carolina Panthers. There is optimism for a quick return.
Former Notre Dame football tight end Mitchell Evans suffered an apparent lower left leg injury during Carolina Panthers practice on Tuesday, when the second-year pass catcher was carted off the field.
The early reactions regarding the severity have not been positive, but it has been confirmed that Evans sustained only a rolled ankle. The trainers are optimistic for a quick return.
The timing could not be worse for Evans, who has been having a tremendous offseason for Carolina after a solid rookie campaign. The Panthers selected the 6-foot-5, 258-pound tight end in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he went on to play in 17 games with 10 starts, hauling in 19 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
That healthy first professional season had created real expectations for what year two could bring under head coach Dave Canales.
Evans’ history with injuries at Notre Dame
Unfortunately, injuries have been a consistent theme throughout Evans’ career.
After playing in 13 games as a true freshman for the Fighting Irish in 2021, the former three-star recruit suffered a broken foot before the 2022 season. The injury required surgery to repair his fifth metatarsal and limited him to eight games that year, where he caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
The 2023 season brought Evans’ big breakout. He recorded 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown across eight games before a torn ACL during Notre Dame’s win over Pittsburgh cut his year short. That led to a slow start heading into his final season in 2024, but Evans still managed to play in 16 games for the first full healthy season since his freshman year.
He finished that campaign with 43 receptions for 421 yards and three touchdowns.
What Evans means to the Panthers’ offense
Carolina has struggled to find consistent production from the tight end position as a pass-receiving weapon. Evans’ combination of size and athleticism offered real upside for quarterback Bryce Young heading into the 2026 NFL season.
From the sounds of it, Evans had been one of the standout players of the Panthers’ offseason program, which makes this setback a bit unsettling. Getting back on the field as soon as possible will be key for Evans’ breakout.
Evans did suffer a minor ankle injury during a game against the New Orleans Saints as a rookie but returned to that contest. That was the only health concern during an otherwise clean first professional season.
Looking ahead
For Notre Dame fans who followed Evans’ career and admired his perseverance through multiple setbacks in South Bend, the hope is that Tuesday’s incident was more of a scare than a long-term issue. The confirmed diagnosis was a sigh of relief for both Panthers and Notre Dame fans.
If Evans can return to the field and stay healthy for a considerable stretch, there is still a lot of optimism that his best football is firmly ahead of him at still just 23 years old. The talent has never been in question. The ability to stay on the field has been the only thing standing between Evans and a breakout at the NFL level.