The 8.5 Monday slant route
Everybody is always excited to see rookies, but I'm watching a certain veteran.
This might be the least anticipated season in the Carolina Panthers 30 years of existence.
Most are resigned to the team likely enduring their seventh consecutive losing season.
For me though, I’m excited to see what this season brings and that starts on Thursday night in New England.
I know it’s just a preseason game, but I want to see how Head Coach Dave Canales operates in his first opportunity of being the man in charge.
The Panthers have a lot of holes on the roster and some injuries at certain spots like tight end. Most fans will be excited to watch fourth round rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders take the field.
While I’m excited to see the rookie play, I’m more intrigued to see if veteran Jordan Matthews makes the team. The 32-year-old was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Vanderbilt as a wide receiver in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Matthews converted to tight end after the 2020 NFL season. He hasn’t caught a pass in a regular season game since 2019. He’s played in a total of four regular season games since 2020 & tore his ACL in August 2022. He played in one game for the Panthers last season, where he logged 19 snaps on special teams against the Chicago Bears.
Matthews is battling to keep his NFL career alive. There’s an element of toughness that’s required to remain in the league. Matthews chose to play one of the hardest positions on the field and he’s two years removed from a torn ACL.
Panthers GM Dan Morgan has consistently spoken about having tough players on this football team and Matthews fits the bill.
Most fans don’t care for feel good stories when the team they root for is in the midst of its worst stretch in franchise history.
For a team that needs toughness, Matthews is the type of story to root for, even if it doesn’t translate to a winning season.