Dante Rosario was a hero in the Carolina Panthers' opening game, fueling the hopes of a fan base that's been clamoring for a star tight end since Wesley Walls retired.
Rosario's dramatic hands-like-glue catch in the back of the end zone with no time remaining gave the Panthers a 26-24 win in San Diego. He finished with a team- and career-high seven catches for 96 yards.
But instead of signaling the start of an emerging offensive threat, the performance so far has no encore.
Rosario has been a part-time player in a supporting role in the seven games since his big day, combining to make eight catches for 70 yards and no touchdowns. He's been without a catch in three of the past four games.
His drop in production is not concerning to coach John Fox, Rosario or the Panthers.
They say he was a key part of the game plan for San Diego because of specific vulnerabilities they saw in the Chargers' defense.
“On offense, particularly in the passing game, you take what the defense gives you,” said Fox. “Whether he gets the ball or not is a lot dependent upon what the defense is doing.”
Said Rosario: “There were things San Diego did that we realized we could exploit.
“Not every week is going to be like that. Some teams cover the tight end better, or however you want to look at it.”
Rosario exposed a major Chargers weakness. Tight ends caught four more touchdowns against them in the three weeks after the Carolina game.
Another reason Rosario excelled at San Diego was because the Panthers were without receiver Steve Smith that day and the next week because of a suspension.
Smith has been the team's top receiver since returning, which has factored into Rosario's lessened role.
“Having Smitty back gives us another offensive threat, and obviously we're going to get him the ball,” said Rosario.
The Panthers started Rosario and Jeff King in a double tight-end set against the Chargers, but haven't done so since. Rosario started in place of King once and has come off the bench as a reserve in the other six games.
“He's not the full-time tight end, so he doesn't get a lot of different looks,” said Fox. “In games where we use multiple tight ends, obviously his role is bigger. He's still very capable and has worked very hard. It's not that we think any less of him or anything like that. It's just sometimes that's how it goes.”
Rosario said his performance against the Chargers gave him a confidence boost, and he's not complaining about his current role. He said he tries to stay ready for whatever opportunities come his way.
“As long as we're winning,” he said, “it's hard to be unsatisfied with that.”
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