Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders addresses trade rumors, more

Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders addresses trade rumors, more When Ja'Tavion Sanders was asked on Monday about his new teammate, Darren Waller, he flashed a big smile. The two had met before, Sanders said, at a promotional campaign with Icy Hot ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. Sanders is a 'new age tight end' much like Waller was when he first leaped onto the scene years ago, after all, and Sanders said that he's enjoyed getting to know Waller more after becoming teammates with him. 'He dominated this league at our position,' Sanders told reporters on Monday. He added, 'It's only good things. We've learned so much from him already.' Carolina Panthers Ja'Tavion Sanders leaps over Atlanta F'alcons Mike Hughes at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, September 21, 2025. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@heraldonline.com Still, when Sanders was asked about Waller on Monday, the Panthers' likeable fourth-round draft pick from 2024 understood the subtext. He understood what the addition of Waller looked like from the outside. He also understood that the Panthers have five tight ends on their roster now — a rarity and outright luxury in the NFL, one that could change at any moment. Did the addition of Waller threaten you and your spot? Was there uncertainty for you on roster cut day? Is this still a difficult situation to navigate? He answered all such questions as you might expect. 'At the end of the day, it's a competition,' said Sanders, who talked to reporters Monday for the first time since the Panthers signed Waller from free agency in late August. 'Everybody's competing for a job. And that's how you gotta take it. You can't have any hard feelings.' Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders jumps over Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison following a pass reception during action on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. The Panthers defeated the Buccaneers 23-20. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com It's an admirable thing to say. It's also an easier thing to say than to do. The Panthers' front office, after all, signed Waller last month after saying all summer that they were confident in the tight end room's ability to produce on Sundays. There were no injuries to the group, either. Waller's signing was splashy — and seemed, at least from the outside, to directly threaten Sanders' role on the team. Sanders, the tight end going into his third year, was drafted, after all, to provide an explosive and reliable receiving threat that the Panthers haven't had since Greg Olsen departed in 2019. He's had moments of brilliance, no doubt, but he's also more troughs than peaks in his two seasons to date. His health hasn't helped with that; he's missed six games in two seasons due to injury — including the last five last season after suffering a broken ankle. Sanders' 2025 stats: 13 games played, five games started, 34 targets, 29 receptions, 190 yards and one touchdown. After Waller's addition, everything Sanders did was put under a microscope. That included not only how much he played in the preseason but when he played in those games, which quarterbacks threw him the ball in team drills and more. Sanders was even linked in a bunch of trade rumors and possibilities this offseason — all of which were not substantiated by head coach Dave Canales or general manager Dan Morgan. He said he saw some of those trade rumors himself. But as for a reaction? He just shrugged them off. 'I really didn't pay too much mind to it,' Sanders said. 'I was seeing it on social media. You can't let the media affect you or your mindset. You still gotta come into work every day, prepare the same way. It didn't really impact me at all.' Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller jokes with a teammate prior to practice on Monday, August 24, 2026. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com He added: 'You just gotta control what you can control. If I was to get traded, that's out of my control, can't really focus on that. Just gotta focus on being the best version of me, being the best teammate I can be.' Sanders added that he's in a 'great mode.' He's carved out a role for himself on special teams this summer, and with a coaching staff like this one in Carolina, that can go a long way toward contributing on Sundays. He also recently welcomed a daughter into the world, who picks up his spirits when he's feeling down, and also relies on his Christian faith when doubt creeps in, too. He posts scripture and other motivational sayings as well. One line in particular stands out, which he reposted to his Instagram story on Monday morning, only a few hours after the NFL cut deadline came and went: 'I'm covered by God,' it read. 'I'm not worried.' Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders practices during the second day of training camp in Charlotte on Friday, July 24, 2026. Ali Costellow ali.costellow@charlotteobserver. Other notes from Monday's practice Running back Jonathon Brooks and outside linebacker Pat Jones did not practice Monday. Canales did not provide details on their statuses; he said he will wait to do so Wednesday, the day the first league-mandated injury report of the season comes out. Brooks missed practice last week due to 'general soreness,' Canales said, and the coach is hopeful Brooks will be ready for the team's season-opening game. Waller, who didn't play at all in the preseason, says he feels great not only of his understanding of the playbook but also his health. Canales said he hit over 20 miles per hour on one of his routes today, according to Panthers tracking technology. Waller smiled when told that's how fast he ran on a route: 'I think last year there definitely was a step back in my long speed just because I showed up to training camp with no football foundation of training (he returned from retirement last year). Having that foundation this year, and being able to do that speed training from February to when I got here ... I can just play fast and just roll with it.' Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller catches pass prior to the start of practice on Monday, August 24, 2026. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com Related Stories from Charlotte Observer Local Panthers sign former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller August 13, 2026 4:54 PM Alex Zietlow The Charlotte Observer Email this person Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow's work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He's earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription