Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders, leaner and faster, wants to trade pizzas for a Pro Bowl berth

New York Times

04-06-2025

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before wrapping up their first year in the NFL at the end of the 2024 season, Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales told his rookies this would be an offseason like they hadn't experienced in college. There would be no mandatory, early-morning runs in January; no mat drills or winter weightlifting sessions.
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NFL players are on their own until April, when the offseason program begins, and those workouts are voluntary. So Canales challenged the then-rookies to find the motivation on their own to report back to Bank of America Stadium in shape.
Ja'Tavion Sanders understood the assignment.
The second-year tight end, whose rookie season was sidetracked by a neck injury, traded fast food for lean proteins and good carbs, spent a week in California training with quarterback Bryce Young and showed up for OTAs 10 pounds lighter and a tick faster.
His head coach noticed.
'J.T. heard that message, took it seriously and he really came back in such great shape,' Canales said after Tuesday's OTA practice. 'I'm proud of him for taking those steps. And 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.'
Light work for the TEs pic.twitter.com/abgkHmYHdL
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) June 3, 2025
Sanders' decision to reshape his body was a timely one: Starting tight end Tommy Tremble had back surgery last month and is out, leaving the thin tight end room even more lean after Ian Thomas' departure and Jordan Matthews' release.
The Panthers drafted Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans in the fifth round. But there's a big opportunity for Sanders to take hold of the position in the absence of Tremble, who could start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Canales didn't offer a specific timeline for Tremble, but said there could be a window for him to return during the preseason. 'He feels great,' Canales said. 'But there's a lot that goes into that, making sure that he's right.'
Sanders thought the offseason was the right time to commit to a better diet.
'Just taking that next step. You've gotta get better every year. I couldn't come back the same way,' he said. 'I just felt like that was what I needed from myself to take that next step to become the player I want to be and to become the teammate I want to be for this team.'
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Sanders has avoided junk food since returning to Charlotte for the offseason program. He hired a chef to prepare healthy meals for him, such as steak, rice and broccoli or chicken alfredo with broccoli. The 6-foot-4 Sanders weighed in at 245 pounds Tuesday after playing last season at 255.
'Last year I was definitely one of those dudes. Definitely give me a little Domino's Pizza or whatever,' he said. 'But now if I'm hungry at 11 o'clock at night, I open up one of them meal prep containers.'
Sanders said his fitness kick started in southern California, where he lost five pounds while working out and catching passes with Young and second-year wide receiver Jalen Coker. Sanders stayed for five days — long enough to learn that Young doesn't mess around in the gym.
'He told me we was gonna do some QB training. Bryce might be one of the hardest workers I know. Real talk,' Sanders said. 'I'm talking about actually working out, not (only) throwing.'
Asked if he did anything fun after the workouts, Sanders said: 'We got food and stuff. But that was really a business trip for sure.'
Sanders was having a lot of fun as a rookie before landing on his head after trying to hurdle a Kansas City Chiefs defender in Week 12. Sanders missed the next game at Philadelphia and was limited for several weeks with what he described as whiplash.
'If anybody ever got in a wreck and you know whiplash, you know you can't move (your neck),' he said. 'You've gotta turn your whole body.'
That's not ideal for a pass-catcher who averaged four targets a game over a seven-game stretch before getting flipped on his head against Kansas City. Sanders had one target or fewer in the four games after returning.
He was feeling better by Week 18 at Atlanta, where he caught three passes for 35 yards in the 44-38 overtime win, which solidified Young's position as the starter going forward. Overall, it was a decent debut for the fourth-round pick from Texas: Sanders finished with a 76.7 catch percentage (33 receptions on 43 targets) for 342 yards and a touchdown.
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But Sanders believes he's capable of more — like, much more.
'Ultimate goal is to win here. Win the division, win the playoffs, win the Super Bowl,' he said. 'But personal goal — trying to make the Pro Bowl.'
That would be a big jump for a player who only started eight games and averaged 10.4 yards per catch last year. But a motivated Sanders could emerge as another playmaker for Young, and the tight end looked good pulling in a Young pass on a seam route during Tuesday's practice.
Sanders didn't divulge all his summer plans, but he'll be back in California when Young has his teammates out for informal throwing sessions in his home state.
'I told B.Y. after that week,' Sanders said, 'I said 'I'm going back with you again.''