The Carolina Panthers are in the dog days of training camp right now, and one of the more intense position battles is the one for starting tight end. Tommy Tremble’s back injury opened the door for the other tight ends to step up, and Ja’Tavion Sanders is doing just that.
Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer wrote about Sanders’ impressive training camp in his August 4 article, “Panthers training camp stock watch: Sanders, Smith-Wade surge in practice.”
“Sanders might be the offensive MVP of camp thus far,” Kaye said. Sanders has caught the eye of training camp observers with both his work ethic and standout grabs.
Highlight Reel Plays
Ja’Tavion Sanders is a man on a mission this training camp to prove that he should be TE1 for the Panthers. Sanders’ spectacular catches have now become a regular part of each practice session.
Mike Kaye, in his August 1 Charlotte Observer article, “Panthers training camp: ‘Dominant’ practice for Trevin Wallace, Carolina defense,” detailed some of the highlight reel catches Sanders has been making.
“Sanders, who might be the team’s offensive MVP of the first two weeks of camp, made several highlight catches against the first- and second-team defenses,” Kaye said. “Dalton tossed a rainbow-like floater that lofted into the air for too long, and cornerback Akayleb Evans tried to track it, but misplayed the throw, and Sanders turned into a DB and picked it off in front of Evans. Sanders then rolled into the end zone before celebrating with a spinning of the ball and crossing his arms.”
Later on in the session, after flexing his growing confidence, Sanders made another great play. Kaye said, “Sanders later made a really nice catch in traffic near the goal line during red zone drills for a touchdown.”
In his rookie season last year, Sanders showed flashes of developing into a productive player. He finished his rookie campaign with 33 receptions for 342 yards and 10.4 yards per reception. The big play ability is there for Sanders, something Panthers tight ends have lacked at the position since the departure of Greg Olsen.
Sanders put himself in a position to have this breakout training camp with the work he put into his body this offseason.
Sanders’ Body Transformation
Coming into 2025, Sanders aimed to improve every facet of his game, and to do that, he needed to get into better physical condition, and that is just what he did. The way Sanders lost weight is a bit unconventional. In a move that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would be proud of, Sanders hired a personal chef from FedEx. Sanders detailed this story to Panthers’ website writer Kassidy Hill in her July 31 article “Ja’Tavion Sanders on becoming faster and more confident in Year 2.”
“She works at FedEx, too,” Sanders explained. “I was shipping my helmets and stuff back for the offseason, and she was like, ‘Oh, you play for the Panthers.‘ I’m like, yeah, I introduced myself. She’s like, ‘Oh, I’m a chef.‘ I said, ‘When I get back, I’m going to tap in with you.‘ Tapped in with her, we’ve been locked in since.”
Sanders went from over 250 pounds to 238 pounds with the help of his chef, and the results so far have been a faster, more fit player who is more easily able to get in and out of his breaks on routes.
The Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales noticed the hard work Sanders has put in. He said in a July 11 ESPN article written by David Newton that Sanders’ weight loss makes him feel confident.
“It makes me feel confident about him going into the summer, having a plan for his prep and looking for a big year out of him,” Canales said.
Sanders’ hard work in the offseason and training camp is paying off, and it leaves him poised to be a reliable target for quarterback Bryce Young heading into the 2025 season.
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