HC Dave Canales explains why Panthers are signing TE Darren Waller

Soon-to-be Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller may not have been at practice on Thursday, but his presence was certainly felt. As reported last night, the Panthers have reached an agreement with Waller. The team's signing of the 33-year-old free agent was not made official prior to this morning's training camp session, hence his absence from the field. But the addition was official enough for head coach Dave Canales to talk about following the outing. "Just looking for ways to challenge our roster, challenge our rooms," Canales told reporters. "Bringing different types of talent into the rooms to really challenge the group and see what we have there." The Panthers haven't had much in their tight end room, at least as far as receiving production goes. The last Carolina tight end to amass at least 350 receiving yards in a season was franchise great Greg Olsen, who hit 597 yards in his final campaign with the organization back in 2019. Waller may not be the Pro Bowl-caliber pass catcher he was in 2020, but he should be the most capable threat of the group. And the 6-foot-6, 238-pounder still has something left in the tank, as he recorded six touchdowns in just nine games for the Miami Dolphins last season. Canales continued. "We felt like it was a good fit," he added. "There was a lot of conversations back and forth—about the vision, about the group that he's coming into. So felt comfortable about that, found an agreement and we'll bring him in and do the physical and all that stuff." Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content. This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: HC Dave Canales explains why Panthers are signing TE Darren Waller