Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst said in early April that he hopes to be the quarterback’s best friend this season, but any relationship building will be on hold for a little while.
Head coach Frank Reich said on Monday that Hurst is recovering from sports hernia surgery. Reich said that Hurst is making progress in that process, but is not taking part in the team’s OTAs for the time being because of the operation.
The Panthers signed Hurst in March. He caught 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns with the Bengals in 2022.
Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble, Giovanni Ricci, and Stephen Sullivan are the healthy tight ends in Carolina for the time being.