Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders discusses being the subject of trade rumors ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL season.
As the Carolina Panthers continue to prepare for the 2026 NFL season, they are a team that will be in the spotlight in terms of potential improvement.
Despite winning the NFC North in 2025, the Panthers were 8-9 and won a tiebreaker to earn the division title. They want to prove that they are a better team and a potential candidate in the NFC. But to do that, they need the offense to take a step forward.
One player who could help be a big target in a position of need is tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders. The Panthers aren't strong at the tight end position and are hoping that someone can step up for them. But the addition of Darren Waller late this offseason sparked some rumors that Sanders could be on the move.
With Week 1 here, Panthers' reporters were able to chat with Sanders about dealing with those rumors.
"I really didn't pay too much mind to it. I saw it on social media," Sanders said via Mike Kaye of ESPN. "But you can't let the media affect you. Your mindset still has to come into work every day, prepare the same way. So it really didn't affect me at all."
For Sanders, there may not be a ton of value in terms of the trade market. He's entering year three and has just 532 yards and two touchdowns so far in his career, so his production is struggling a bit.
However, Carolina may not want to give up on him so soon either. With some unproven players at the position, the Panthers may not be able to afford to give up on a player this early.
The Panthers do have a stable of tight ends at the moment as Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks and Darren Waller are on the depth chart in addition to Sanders.
Time will tell if Sanders can carve a role for himself in this offense or if he will be a healthy scratch as the games go on.
Carolina will host the Chicago Bears this Sunday with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. ET.
