Panthers' Darren Waller expects to be active for the opener vs. Chicago
The Panthers look set to have Darren Waller on the field Sunday. The veteran tight end expects to be active for the season opener against the Chicago Bears, per Joseph Person — a notable step for a player the team managed carefully all sum…
Posted
The Panthers look set to have Darren Waller on the field Sunday. The veteran tight end expects to be active for the season opener against the Chicago Bears, per Joseph Person — a notable step for a player the team managed carefully all summer.
Joseph Person (@josephperson): The Panthers used a slow ramp up with Waller this summer after his soft-tissue issues w/ MIA coming off his 1-yr retirement. But the veteran TE expects to be active Sun. vs. the Bears.
The ramp-up was deliberate. Carolina slowly brought Waller along during camp after soft-tissue issues in Miami and a season spent out of football following his brief retirement, per Person. Coach Dave Canales, asked how the tight end has looked, offered a two-word review: "Big and fast."
Getting a healthy and interested Waller is a real boost for a Carolina offense still figuring out its identity, giving the unit a proven pass-catching tight end who can stretch the seam and move the chains. When Waller is healthy and fully interested in football, he has been one of the top TE's in the game, but that has been an issue for the veteran TE over his career. With the opener against the Bears on the calendar, Waller's expected availability removes one of the bigger question marks hanging over Carolina's first game.