Without Greg Olsen, here’s who can help the Panthers in Joe Brady’s tight-end heavy offense
Greg Olsen and the Panthers’ decision to go in different directions isn’t a surprise.
Anyone who heard what the tight end had to say at the conclusion of last season, or was at the Week 17 loss to the Saints which featured a tribute to Olsen’s career on the video board, knew this was coming.
Olsen stepping away from the franchise he was with for nine years, is just the next step of the Panthers’ rebuild. But replacing one of the most reliable tight ends in NFL history won’t be easy.
In new offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s offense, tight end is a key piece. Just look at the success of players like Ben Watson and Jared Cook in the Saints’ offense and what Mallard Creek grad Thaddeus Moss did with Brady at LSU this past year. Having a dependent pass-catcher at tight end is an important part of making the unit work.
Will the Panthers gamble on Ian Thomas taking Olsen’s place?
On the roster
The two options the Panthers already have signed for 2020 are Thomas and blocking tight end Chris Manhertz.
Thomas seems like the most likely in-house successor. He’s had opportunities over the past two years with Olsen’s various injuries, but hasn’t shown much on a consistent basis. In 2019, he caught 16 of 30 targets, a catch percentage of just 53.3 percent. Olsen’s was 10 percent higher this year. When Thomas was given that opportunity toward the end of the year, especially in the game at Atlanta, he had multiple dropped passes. He finished the season with the third-highest dropped passes percentage on the roster (10 percent).
Thomas had a better rookie year. The 2018 fourth-round pick finished with 36 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns. But after playing 15 or fewer offensive snaps in each of the first 11 games of 2019, Thomas needed to show more when he got his opportunities at the end of the year. He remains a question mark with two years left on his rookie deal, but is also a cheap option because of that contract.
Manhertz has one year left on the two-year contract he signed. He is not an option for filling Olsen’s spot; the 27-year old is a blocking tight end. He had just one reception last year, but is a key piece in the run game and pass protection.
Tight ends the Panthers could target in free agency
Eric Ebron, Colts: Colts general manager Chris Ballard told the media after the season that the team would “probably move on” from Ebron. His 2019 season ended in November after he told the team that the pain in his ankle was too much to play on. At 26, Ebron’s future shows promise. In 2018 with the Colts, he caught 66 passes for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also stumbled through some just OK years from his time in Detroit, but Ebron could be a cost effective piece for the rebuilding Panthers.
Austin Hooper, Falcons: Hooper has proven to be an impressive tight end in his first four years in the league, making two Pro Bowls. In 2019, he caught 75 passes for 787 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said Hooper is someone they would like to keep, but he might be out of their price range. That may also be the case for the Panthers. It’s hard to see them investing top dollars in the position when there are so many other areas to address.
Hunter Henry, Chargers: Injuries have been the main issue for Henry. He missed the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL he suffered in the offseason. Despite missing four games in 2019 with a knee injury, he still had a career year, catching 55 passes for 652 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns with a catch percentage of 72.4 percent. Henry has yet to play a full 16-game season in his four years in the NFL, but when he has played, he has shown he can be among the NFL’s best. Henry might be out of the team’s price range, but he is worth looking at. However, someone with injury concerns doesn’t seem like the best option for Carolina.
Other notable free agent tight ends: Tyler Eifert (Bengals), Charles Clay (Cardinals) and Marcedes Lewis (Packers).
Who will be available in the upcoming NFL draft?
The Panthers shouldn’t select a tight end early in this year’s draft with all of the needs they have to address. On top of that, this year is not a particularly strong tight end draft, especially compared to last year when two went in the first round. Here’s who’s available in this year’s draft.
Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt: Size-wise, Pinkney, who’s 6-4 and 254 pounds, could fill in well for Olsen. He was lethal in 2018, catching 50 passes for 774 yards and seven touchdowns. The Vanderbilt offense had a down year this past fall and Pinkney wasn’t the flashiest player at the Senior Bowl last week, but he could be a good option for development and someone the Panthers could take in a later round.
Hunter Bryant, Washington: Bryant will be a tempting option for the Panthers. At 6-2, 239 pounds, Bryant is a smaller tight end, but he could pair well with Manhertz. He was one of the top receiving tight ends in college football this past year, and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end. He finished third among tight ends with 825 receiving yards and had just three receiving touchdowns. He has been projected to go as high as the first round, but if he drops, he could be an interesting target if the Panthers believe he can improve his blocking skills, gain some weight and play an overall role in Brady’s offense.
Thaddeus Moss, LSU: He had to be on this list, right? Moss was a part of Brady’s national championship-winning offense at LSU this past season and had 47 receptions for 570 yards (single-season records for a tight end at LSU) and four touchdowns, two of which came in the national championship game against Clemson. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not drop a single pass in 2019. Moss fit in Brady’s offense and the offensive coordinator is already familiar with him. The son of Randy Moss, who’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Thaddeus started his career at N.C. State in 2016 before transferring to LSU. At 6-3 and 249 pounds, Moss showed abilities as a receiver and a blocker. He could be around later in the draft and make a lot of sense in Carolina’s new offense.
Other notable prospects: Brycen Hopkins (Purdue), Cole Kmet (Notre Dame) and Albert Okwuegbunam (Missouri).
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
