Panthers Discussed Him Before Cuts
Joseph Person of The Athletic reported that Carolina had trade discussions involving Sanders before last weekend's roster cuts, and Person's reporting made clear those conversations came from other teams reaching out about the tight end rather than the Panthers being out there shopping him.
When head coach Dave Canales was asked whether Carolina was fielding calls on Sanders, he said he had "no information" to offer, a non-answer that did nothing to quiet the speculation.
The #Panthers third year TE Ja’Tavion Sanders is gonna be a healthy scratch for tomorrow’s game against the #Bears, per source pic.twitter.com/bHIkxTdjMT
— Panthers Statement (@Statement_JT) September 12, 2026
General manager Dan Morgan struck a more committed tone publicly, saying the team was happy with its group of five tight ends and adding, "not to say that something couldn't change." In the end, nothing did.
Carolina kept Sanders on the initial 53-man roster along with Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks and newly signed veteran Darren Waller, the same player Carolina brought in specifically to compete for Sanders' role as a receiving tight end.
Then Made Him A Healthy Scratch
Sanders was a full healthy scratch for Carolina's regular-season opener against the Bears, marking the first time in his career he's been a coach's decision inactive rather than sidelined by injury.
The Panthers instead dressed all four other tight ends, including Waller, who made his Carolina debut in the same game. It's a significant signal for a former fourth-round pick who's now entering his third season without ever establishing himself as an every-down piece, having caught 62 passes for 532 yards and two touchdowns combined across his first two years.
Panthers TE Ja'Tavion Sanders is a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 13, 2026
Person's earlier reporting specifically noted that Sanders being kept on the roster doesn't mean the interest from other teams has gone away, floating the idea that a team that gets light at tight end or suffers an injury at the position later in the year could easily call Morgan back.
Sanders, for his part, has said he isn't letting the rumors affect his mindset, telling reporters he tunes out what he sees on social media and focuses on preparing the same way regardless.
Carolina now has a crowded, healthy tight end room and a former high-value fourth-round pick who didn't play a single snap in Week 1.
