Not since the heyday of Greg Olsen have the Carolina Panthers had a legitimate pass-catching threat at the tight end spot. But a fresh and healthy Hayden Hurst is looking to change that.
While moving into his very first training camp in Spartanburg on Tuesday, the University of South Carolina product told reporters that he played all of last season with an adductor tear and a hernia. And now that he’s “100 percent,” the sixth-year veteran is ready to roll towards a career campaign.
“I love it,” Hurst replied when asked of the expectations surrounding him in Carolina. “This is the opportunity that I’ve always asked for. I prepare this offseason like the ball’s gonna come my way a lot. I’m in the best shape of my life. We’re just gonna take it a day at a time, try to get through camp and then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it when the season comes.”
The Panthers, in the hopes reigniting the position, signed Hurst to a three-year, $21.7 million contract this offseason. Even with the injuries, he reeled in 52 passes for 414 yards—just three fewer than the entire Carolina tight end room combined for in 2023.
Those numbers, however, are expected to rise, especially under head coach Frank Reich.
“You see Frank’s track record with tight ends—with Ertzy [Zach Ertz], Antonio Gates, what [Eric] Ebron did with him in Indy,” he said of his new offense. “There’s a lot of emphasis put on that position. It’s a good group of guys we have in our room, so I think it’s gonna be a really, really fun year. A lot of expectations, obviously. But we love that in our room.”
