03-10-2026, 09:02 PM -
Glad to see him back. I like David Moore. 
David Moore spent 2025 learning his guys, now he's back to lead on and off the field
CHARLOTTE — There was never any doubt for David Moore that he'd be back here again, walking through the familiar door off Mint Street in mid-March just like he did last year and the year before. And three years before that, too
"Just hope," he smiled, settling down and making himself comfortable in a chair just off the Panthers' football hallway. "There was a lot of hope."
That hope was rewarded when the Panthers signed Moore to a third straight contract, keeping him not only in the locker room to which he has become accustomed, but with the coaching staff—and particularly head coach—who think of Moore as their guy, going back to 2017 in Seattle.
"I just love being around people I'm comfortable with," Moore expressed just minutes after signing his contract. "And, Dave, Brad (Idzik), a lot of the coaches here I'm pretty comfortable with, and for sure a lot of the players now that I've been with them for two years."
The feeling is mutual, evidenced by the fact that three offensive coaches walked through the lobby where Moore was lounging just moments later, changed course when they saw him across the way, and pulled the receiver out of his chair so they could deliver back pats and hugs as they welcomed him back.
As he's done every year for the past three springs, Moore left his "babies" on his Texas farm (they're cows, not actual babies) to come sign the contract—"I think we have eight babies now. I just sold seven or eight on the bye week"—and he'll head back there for the next few weeks, weighing whether or not to get a mule and purposely banging his arm on walls to ensure the elbow that was severely dislocated in Week 4 last season is ready for action once again.
"I'll still go around hitting walls with my arm, and if a door is shutting, I use my arm to do it," he laughs, miming how he's putting his elbow through stress.
Granted, having even control over the action, even unconsciously, doesn't impart the same force as getting tackled by a linebacker at top speed. Moore knows, as he returns for his third straight year with the Panthers (and fourth overall), that if he's going to make the impact he knows he's capable of, the elbow needs to be tested further.
"I really just want to get tackled. I just need somebody to put full pads on and lay one on my arm," he admitted. "Getting hit does not feel good at all in general, but yeah, I just want to see for sure. I'll know for sure then when I get tackled. I'll try to make some kind of jump in the air and come back down on my body just to feel it."
Moore's return to the receiving corps will be vital. The group experienced exponential growth last season, headlined by Tetairoa McMillan, the offensive rookie of the year and the emergence of Jalen Coker, which sets the entire group up for greater success.
But Moore, in his important but albeit limited appearances with Bryce Young thus far, has proven himself to be a vital safety blanket. Having spent seven of his nine seasons thus far in this particular offense, he now understands not only his role in the playbook but everybody else's, too. In 2024, over half of Moore's receptions went for a first down, and he hauled in three touchdowns on 32 receptions.
David Moore spent 2025 learning his guys, now he's back to lead on and off the field
CHARLOTTE — There was never any doubt for David Moore that he'd be back here again, walking through the familiar door off Mint Street in mid-March just like he did last year and the year before. And three years before that, too
"Just hope," he smiled, settling down and making himself comfortable in a chair just off the Panthers' football hallway. "There was a lot of hope."
That hope was rewarded when the Panthers signed Moore to a third straight contract, keeping him not only in the locker room to which he has become accustomed, but with the coaching staff—and particularly head coach—who think of Moore as their guy, going back to 2017 in Seattle.
"I just love being around people I'm comfortable with," Moore expressed just minutes after signing his contract. "And, Dave, Brad (Idzik), a lot of the coaches here I'm pretty comfortable with, and for sure a lot of the players now that I've been with them for two years."
The feeling is mutual, evidenced by the fact that three offensive coaches walked through the lobby where Moore was lounging just moments later, changed course when they saw him across the way, and pulled the receiver out of his chair so they could deliver back pats and hugs as they welcomed him back.
As he's done every year for the past three springs, Moore left his "babies" on his Texas farm (they're cows, not actual babies) to come sign the contract—"I think we have eight babies now. I just sold seven or eight on the bye week"—and he'll head back there for the next few weeks, weighing whether or not to get a mule and purposely banging his arm on walls to ensure the elbow that was severely dislocated in Week 4 last season is ready for action once again.
"I'll still go around hitting walls with my arm, and if a door is shutting, I use my arm to do it," he laughs, miming how he's putting his elbow through stress.
Granted, having even control over the action, even unconsciously, doesn't impart the same force as getting tackled by a linebacker at top speed. Moore knows, as he returns for his third straight year with the Panthers (and fourth overall), that if he's going to make the impact he knows he's capable of, the elbow needs to be tested further.
"I really just want to get tackled. I just need somebody to put full pads on and lay one on my arm," he admitted. "Getting hit does not feel good at all in general, but yeah, I just want to see for sure. I'll know for sure then when I get tackled. I'll try to make some kind of jump in the air and come back down on my body just to feel it."
Moore's return to the receiving corps will be vital. The group experienced exponential growth last season, headlined by Tetairoa McMillan, the offensive rookie of the year and the emergence of Jalen Coker, which sets the entire group up for greater success.
But Moore, in his important but albeit limited appearances with Bryce Young thus far, has proven himself to be a vital safety blanket. Having spent seven of his nine seasons thus far in this particular offense, he now understands not only his role in the playbook but everybody else's, too. In 2024, over half of Moore's receptions went for a first down, and he hauled in three touchdowns on 32 receptions.
This post was last modified: 03-10-2026, 09:04 PM by PantherFan007.