New faces are abound in the Carolina Panthers’ offense. Gone are Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, replaced instead by No. 1 pick Bryce Young. Gone is D.J. Moore, shipped off to the Bears and replaced by free agent acquisition Adam Thielen. There’s a new look to the tight end room as well, as the Panthers signed Hayden Hurst to a three-year contract to be their starting tight end.
Panthers starting tight end: Hayden Hurst
As mentioned above, the Panthers signed Hurst, a one-time top-10 fantasy tight end, to a three-year contract after he spent the 2022 season in Cincinnati. Hurst’s best season came in 2020 when he had 571 yards receiving and six touchdowns while with the Atlanta Falcons. Last year, Hurst caught 52 passes for 414 receiving yards while playing the entire season with a groin injury.
Who is Hurst’s backup on the Panthers TE depth chart?
Hurst’s two main backups are Panthers’ mainstays Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. Thomas has spent all of his five-year career with the Panthers (tallying 999 yards and 111 receptions in that time), while Tremble has been with the Panthers for the last two seasons. They’re both big bodied tight ends who thrive in the red zone, which should be a huge boon to Young. They’re worth keeping an eye on in deeper leagues, especially if Hurst isn’t 100% at the start of the season as he recovers from the aforementioned groin injury.