The Carolina Panthers may soon have one of their newest offensive weapons at their disposal.
Head coach Dave Canales chatted with reporters on Monday afternoon, following his team’s brief practice ahead of this weekend’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears. He was asked about the progress of tight end Darren Waller, who signed on with Carolina exactly three weeks ago.
“Big and fast,” Canales said of Waller. “The offensive stuff, the playbook stuff has been really smooth, really easy for him. And we have totally different terminology then where he was at in Miami before. Intelligent guy, hard worker. So he’s been great from a mental standpoint.
“And then physically, he looks great. He looks fast. When you look at Darren, you watch him cover ground and you’re like, ‘Hey, he hit 20.8 [mph] on his GPS on this route. And you’re like, ‘He was running that fast?'”
Waller, who turns 34 years old on Sunday, spent the 2025 campaign with the Miami Dolphins. He totaled 24 receptions for 283 yards and six touchdowns in just 12 games.
Carolina kept Waller on their initial 53-man roster as one of five tight ends—along with Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Feleipe Franks. Waller’s prowess as a pass catcher, however, separates him from the bunch—and could provide some long-awaited receiving production out of the position.
Whether or not he’ll be active for Carolina’s Week 1 matchup versus Chicago remains unclear.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales provides exciting update on TE Darren Waller ahead of Week 1
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