Dave Canales is quietly keeping one Panthers weapon under the radar ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bears
The Carolina Panthers are set to unleash tight end Darren Waller for the first time on Sunday against the Chicago Bears and head coach Dave Canales is keeping his potential impact under the radar.
The Carolina Panthers have quietly been developing a key weapon behind the scenes on offense that they will finally get to unleash on Sunday in veteran tight end Darren Waller.
Waller, who signed with the team in the middle of training camp, did not play in any of the team’s preseason games and only took part in one joint practice. So, the impact he will have in this offense and what his role will actually be going into Week 1 is still unknown. And maybe there’s a reason for that.
“He’s ready to go and I’ll leave it at that,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters after Friday’s practice when asked if Waller will play on Sunday.
What will Darren Waller actually bring to the Panthers’ offense in Week 1?
This is going to be a hard question to fully answer because the Panthers have a loaded tight end position after opting to keep five different options on the 53-man roster in Waller, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks, and Ja’Tavion Sanders.
“I think it really comes down to each of those guys having specific skill sets that we like,” general manager Dan Morgan explained. “If you go down the line, with Tommy – a really good blocker and receiver, Mitch – just a big body, wide blocker who’s also a very capable wideout for us, and Darren Waller – I think he has a unique skill set that I think we can utilize. I know Coach Canales and his staff are really excited about having him and what he can bring to our offense, different dimension to our offense.”
Looking at Waller specifically, he’s not your normal tight end. He’s a vertical play-maker out of the slot and proved last season he can still be a dominant pass catcher in the redzone. And in terms of his availability, he had a better plan this offseason knowing he was going to play to strengthen his playing shape and foundation compared to last year.
That foundational training this year has allowed Waller to bring the speed element back to his game and callous his body to avoid any potential injuries.
“Physically, he looks great, he looks fast,” Canales said. “When you look at Darren, you watch him cover ground, and you’re like, ‘Hey, he hit 20.8 today on his GPS on this route,’ and you’re like, he was running that fast? You don’t realize it. But that’s been cool for Bryce Young to be able to see how his angles change and how to throw it to him, and I’m excited to see what he can bring.”
As for absorbing the playbook ahead of Week 1 after arriving on short notice, Waller relied on his recall from his previous years in the league and similarities with other schemes he’s played in along with spending extra time with the coaches before and after practice.
Simply put, he’s ready to hit the ground running with this team and the Panthers are excited to finally unleash him as an offensive weapon for really the first time on Sunday.
