Greg Olsen Gets Brutally Honest on Panthers' Tight End Room

The Carolina Panthers will look to build on their impressive 2025 season, in which they won the NFC South and reached the postseason.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Panthers legend and now Fox Sports analyst Greg Olsen commented on Carolina's tight end room.

"I think it's a young group. I still think it's a solid group that's gonna continue to kinda do the job and piece it together," Olsen said on the Mac & Bone Show. "I think each guy probably has one element of the offense that he's better at than the others, and I think that's really what it's been-- it's been kinda a position room by committee."

Olsen is right to point out that the Panthers don't have the typical every-down tight end. Tommy Tremble and Ja'Tavion Sanders are the most notable pieces at the position.

In the 2025 season, Tremble finished with 27 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders appeared in 13 games, hauling in 29 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown.

Sanders was more impressive in his rookie campaign in 2024, as he had 33 receptions for 342 yards and a touchdown.

While Tremble and Sanders have shown flashes, Carolina is trying to compete and may need to be aggressive in upgrading at the position.

"At some point, you gotta look and be honest and say-- okay, is there a top-tier guy?" Olsen said. "Is there an every-down, every-play threat that we can develop at the position that is gonna be able to complement and take pressure off the perimeter receivers and the investments we've made in first-round picks with McMillan and Legette, and now this year with Brazzell?"

It's a fair question for Olsen to pose, as the Panthers have added a ton of talent at the receiver position with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, invested a first-round pick in Xavier Legette, and selected Chris Brazzell in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Those are talented weapons for quarterback Bryce Young to have on the outside, but not having a reliable every-down tight end could prove to be a weakness for Carolina.

Panther Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Carolina Panthers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.