Tommy Stevens lived out his dream for Panthers — who Saints never wanted him to play for
For Panthers rookie Tommy Stevens, Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, his former team, was bittersweet.
On one hand, the Panthers had just been blown out at home. On the other, he was able to achieve a lifelong dream: Playing in his first NFL game.
Stevens ran it four times for 24 yards Sunday, including a 3-yard run on third-and-2 from the Saints’ 33-yard line in the second quarter. The run came out of the wildcat formation and gave the Panthers just enough yards for the first down.
“I’m not sure if y’all saw, but my first snap was out at receiver, so being able to cross that off as a bucket list, it was something I had dreamed about as a little kid,” Stevens said, when asked his highlight of the day.
It was fitting that Stevens’ first action came against his former team.
Rhule said the decision to play Stevens hindered on the Panthers’ lack of running backs Sunday. Carolina was down to itsr third- and fourth-string running backs because Christian McCaffrey was out with a quad injury, and backup Mike Davis was out with an ankle injury.
“We knew with just only two tailbacks active, that we had an opportunity to use someone else as a wildcat quarterback,” Rhule said.
But the Panthers, Saints and Stevens have history.
The Panthers’ targeted the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Stevens during the 2020 draft process because they liked his versatility. The former Penn State and Mississippi State quarterback/tight end also had familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Their time at Penn State overlapped from 2015-16, and the Panthers had hoped to sign him as an undrafted rookie.
But the Saints traded into the seventh round and took him 240th overall, reportedly to prevent the Panthers from getting him. Stevens was seen as a player who could be used in similar fashion to Taysom Hill, who the Saints use in a variety of ways, including at quarterback and tight end.
Stevens’ time in New Orleans didn’t pan out. He was cut from the Saints’ practice squad Nov. 10, and the Panthers added him to their practice squad six days later.
The Panthers signed Stevens to the active roster Saturday.
Stevens said he found out earlier last week, before Wednesday’s practice, that he’d be playing Sunday. When asked about facing his former team, Stevens didn’t make much of it.
He said he was just excited to play in his first game. His family was in town to watch him make his NFL debut, and they they planned to grab something to eat together after.
“I had a really good time tonight,” Stevens said with a smile. “It was awesome. Obviously, didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, so we’re going to hit this offseason hard and keep building to the things we want to get to.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Tommy Stevens lived out his dream for Panthers — who Saints never wanted him to play for."
