Ian Thomas

Thomas disappointed as the Panthers' starting tight end in 2021 to 2022, tallying 385 receiving yards and no touchdowns across 34 games (30 starts). After another underwhelming and injury-riddled campaign last season, Carolina added tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. With Thomas entering the final year of his contract, he's expected to play behind both Sanders and Tommy Tremble, seeing minimal offensive work.

Thomas' role has been relatively consistent over the course of his five seasons with the Panthers. Playing 17 games last term, he caught 21 of 30 targets for 197 yards while splitting time with Tommy Tremble. Heading into the upcoming campaign, the veteran is anticipated to feature behind starting tight end Hayden Hurst, which should keep his production around its usual, tepid level.

Thomas started a career-high 13 of 17 games last season, but he only managed 18 catches on 30 targets for 188 yards and didn't score any touchdowns. Despite that limited pass-catching profile - as well as rookie third-rounder Tommy Tremble sporting slightly better production - Thomas was re-signed on a three-year deal this offseason. That commitment figures to keep Thomas in a similar role during the upcoming campaign, with his blocking offering more value than his presence as a route runner.

After long-time Panthers tight end Greg Olsen left last offseason, Thomas was promoted to the top of the depth chart. The result was heightened expectations, but Thomas fell flat in his opportunity. In 16 games, he caught 20 of 31 targets for just 145 yards and one touchdown. In March, Carolina inked Dan Arnold to a two-year contract, moving Thomas back down the pecking order at tight end ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Stuck in Greg Olsen's shadow the last two years, Thomas enters his third season with a fantastic opportunity in a Carolina tight-end room that otherwise consists of journeymen, blocking specialists and undrafted rookies. The 2018 fourth-round pick even has experience handling an every-down role, something he was tasked with whenever Olsen got hurt. Of course, experience and results are different things, with Thomas perhaps coming up a bit short in the latter department. The Panthers essentially used him as a dump-off target, with aDOTs of 6.1 and 6.0 his first two seasons. The lack of downfield work is a bit surprising for a player with 4.74 wheels in a 260-pound frame, though Thomas hasn't done himself any favors with an 8.9 percent drop rate. Competition for targets will be fierce in an offense with Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel.

The Panthers didn't have big plans for Thomas as a rookie, but he was capable when called upon after Greg Olsen suffered another foot injury, posting a 26-268-2 line in seven starting assignments. With Olsen's ability to stay healthy still a significant concern, it's possible Thomas becomes the team's primary tight end this fall. Thomas was merely a fourth-round pick out of Indiana after a quiet college career and a 4.74 40-yard dash, but it's notable he didn't appear totally lost in his first go-round at a complicated position. Be ready to pounce if the news breaks poorly for Olsen.

Drafted in the fourth round of this year's draft, Thomas profiles as an athletic developmental project behind Pro Bowler Greg Olsen. However, considering Olsen's injury struggles last season, as well as his advanced age, Thomas could grow in importance sooner than later.