There’s no doubt that the Carolina Panthers contingent on hand for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine had their focus on a few tight ends in Indianapolis on Saturday. But maybe their much-needed answer at the position is a guy who’s already in the league.
Around the NFL writer Ken Patra recently played matchmaker, pairing one soon-to-be free agent with each team ahead of the start of free agency. For the Panthers, Patra went with Dalton Schultz—who’s spent each of his five pro seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
He writes:
The quarterback situation must be solved, but Frank Reich’s squad also has a glaring need to upgrade the tight end room: The Ian Thomas-Tommy Tremble combo ain’t selling. Schultz is a QB-friendly tight end who can get open in close quarters and provide a red-zone threat. He’s also a solid blocker. Carolina must furnish playmakers (alongside DJ Moore) for whomever is under center. Adding a weapon like Schultz would fit Reich’s scheme and bring YAC capability and third-down reliability to an offense that has been missing both.
Ken’s not kidding. Thomas and Tremble, along with the team’s third tight end in Stephen Sullivan, combined for just 417 yards and three touchdowns on 42 catches this past season.
Schultz, and only Schultz, reeled in 57 balls for 577 yards and five scores in 2022. The former fourth-rounder’s best campaign came in 2021, when he recorded career-highs across the board with 78 receptions, 808 yards and eight touchdowns.