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Where does the Panthers' new do-it-all TE fit on the depth chart?
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- Where does the Panthers' new do-it-all TE fit on the depth chart?
As many fans had hoped, the Carolina Panthers have finally made an interesting addition to their tight end room.
On Monday morning, the team announced that they have signed undrafted free agent tight end Heinrich Haarberg. The 6-foot-4, 237-pounder entered the University of Nebraska in 2021 as a quarterback, but transitioned into a Swiss Army knife of sorts under former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule two years in.
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Haarberg played a Taysom Hill-type role for the Cornhuskers . He threw for almost 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2023 season while adding 477 yards and five touchdowns as a rusher.
While he did not throw much during the following two campaigns, Haarberg went for career-highs as a pass catcher with seven grabs for 51 yards and a score in 2025.
So, where does Haarberg fit into the Panthers' picture at tight end?
Here's our best guess at what the depth chart looks like with him included . . .
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First string: Tommy Tremble
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Second string: Ja'Tavion Sanders
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Third string: Mitchell Evans
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Fourth string: Feleipe Franks
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Fifth string: James Mitchell
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Sixth string: Heinrich Haarberg
At least from the outset, we will probably only see Haarberg on special teams—if he makes it to preseason play. But he might also see action as a gadget weapon for offensive coordinator and first-year play-caller Brad Idzik.
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The good news for Haarberg is that he doesn't have a very tall ladder to climb. Evans showed potential as a red zone weapon as a rookie, but Sanders has bitterly disappointed and Tremble has always been a primarily blocking-first tight end.
You may also notice that there is no real game-changer on the roster at this spot, something that Carolina legend Greg Olsen says they need.
"I think each guy probably has one element of the offense that he's better at than the others, and I think that's really what it's been—it's been kinda a position room by committee . . . ," Olsen told WFNZ's Mac & Bone on Tuesday. "So I think as they continue to invest in the wide receivers and continue to invest in the offensive line, and it does feel like the last piece of the puzzle is finding a true game-changer at the tight end position."
The unfortunate truth is that this organization just hasn't been willing to commit many resources to this position since they re-signed Olsen in 2018. That's a long time to go without spending on a proven veteran in free agency or investing more than a Day 3 draft pick.
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Meanwhile, tight ends have become more and more important for the rest of the league, with contenders like the Seattle Seahawks finding novel new ways to use them.
If the Panthers actually want to improve this spot, they have to make a real effort at some point.
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This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Panthers offseason: Where TE Heinrich Haarberg fits on the depth chart
