The Carolina Panthers appear ready to unveil one of their biggest offseason additions when they open the season against the Chicago Bears.
Veteran tight end Darren Waller expects to be active Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person, after Carolina deliberately eased the former Pro Bowler into action following his late-summer signing.
“The Panthers used a slow ramp up with Waller this summer after his soft-tissue issues w/ MIA coming off his 1-yr retirement,” Person wrote on X. “But the veteran TE expects to be active Sun. vs. the Bears.”
That would give quarterback Bryce Young another intriguing target for an opener in which Carolina will begin trying to build on its 2025 NFC South title.
And although it remains unclear how many snaps Waller will receive, the Panthers have recently gotten encouraging signs that the 33-year-old still possesses the physical traits that once made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiving tight ends.
Dave Canales: Darren Waller Looks ‘Big and Fast’
Panthers head coach Dave Canales offered a succinct assessment when Person asked how Waller has looked.
“Big and fast.”
That matches what Carolina has seen since increasing Waller’s practice workload.
Waller returned to padded practice and participated in first-team work on Sept. 2. Canales said afterward that Waller “looked fast” and “looked huge” while working through routes and getting targets from Young.
It has been a measured process.
Waller signed with Carolina in August after spending the 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins. During his first practices with the Panthers, Canales initially sprinkled him into team periods while Waller learned the terminology and worked himself into the offense.
Carolina was particularly careful because Waller had dealt with soft-tissue issues after returning from a one-year retirement.
Now the payoff could arrive in Week 1.
Waller Gives Bryce Young a Different Red-Zone Option
The Panthers do not need the version of Waller who produced consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Raiders to make the signing worthwhile.
They might only need the version Miami saw last season.
Waller caught just 24 passes for 283 yards in nine appearances for the Dolphins, but six of those receptions went for touchdowns.
That efficiency is particularly relevant for Carolina.
At 6-foot-6, Waller gives Young a large target who can create mismatches against linebackers and safeties, especially as the field shrinks near the goal line. His presence also adds another receiving option alongside Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette.
The position has not produced that kind of receiving threat consistently in Carolina for years. NFL.com noted after Waller agreed to join the Panthers that the franchise has not had a tight end catch at least 50 passes in a season since Greg Olsen in 2019.
Waller does not have to become Olsen to change the geometry of the offense.
If defenses have to account for his size down the seam and near the goal line, opportunities can open elsewhere for Young.
Panthers Still Have a Week 1 Waller Question
Being active does not necessarily mean playing 50 snaps.
Carolina’s current unofficial depth chart still lists Tommy Tremble first at tight end, followed by Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Feleipe Franks before Waller.
That placement should not be interpreted as a definitive prediction of how Canales will distribute passing-game snaps, particularly considering how late Waller joined the roster. But it underscores the remaining question heading into Chicago:
How much Waller is Carolina actually prepared to use?
The Panthers have spent weeks making sure they did not rush that answer.
Sunday should provide the first meaningful one.
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