For Panthers special teamers, it's "volunteering" for opportunity

No one grows up dreaming of blocking for the punt team. But plenty of guys want a chance to do something, and that's where special teams coach Tracy Smith finds plenty of those willing to do anything.

Nov 14, 2026 at 04:16 PM

Darin Gantt

Wide receiver Jalen Coker is seen during a game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Sep 20, 2026 at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

CHARLOTTE — The guys on special teams don't see themselves as conscripts, or even as volunteers.

That doesn't mean they don't volunteer.

As special teams coordinator Tracy Smith tries to put together a weekly lineup with the leftovers from offense and defense that have been thinned by injuries and schematic adjustments, every now and then he hears from guys who want to fill the vacancies.

"Yes, every team always," Smith said when asked if guys offer themselves up. "That is part of the special teams coach. That's part of the nature of picking who plays out of offense and defensive players in all the variety of phases. (Outside linebacker) Trevis Gipson is running a strong campaign to be the kickoff returner as we speak right now, so there is a lot of that. (Practice squad defensive tackle) Parker Petersen would really love to cover a kickoff.

"If you're on a good team that cares, that is together, they all want to do more, they all see opportunities for themselves to help the team, and I try to facilitate as many of those as possible. So, it's nice to see when those guys finally do get an opportunity."

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That happened earlier this year in Atlanta, when returner Trevor Etienne was on injured reserve, and Week 1 returner Jimmy Horn was waived after one game. So starting wide receiver Jalen Coker raised his hand and promptly popped a 36-yard punt return against the Falcons, which provided a spark.

"I mean, I did it in college, and I think I'm just trying to do anything to help the team win," Coker said with a shrug.

Smith's used to that.

"Jalen Coker returned the punt not that long ago, and that was, 'Hey, coach, I can do it, not just because I'm playing receiver,' that was a volunteer situation for sure," Smith said. "The first sign really is a willingness and a desire to do it. And so once guys are showing that, then I try not to put a ceiling on their opportunities."

Outside Linebacker Trevis Gipson (52) is seen during a game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Nov 8, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Well, maybe some ceilings.

Gipson is a 6-foot-4, 264-pound pass-rusher. His day job is to hit people with the ball, not be the guy with the ball.

And when Etienne, now back in his normal roles, is asked what kind of returner Gipson would be, he just laughed.

"I definitely see him as a downhill physical guy that's going to get the ball where it needs to be every time," Etienne said. "Physical downhill running. Straight, not sideline to sideline. I don't see him as one of those returners. I see him as a downhill physical guy."

Would you want to tackle him?

"If I had to," Etienne said, because that's just the way of special teams players.

Outside linebacker Trevis Gipson is seen during a Thursday Night Football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026 at Lambeau Field, in Green Bay WI.

But for Gipson, it took coming here to really open his eyes to that world.

He had played just 286 snaps of special teams in five and a half seasons before arriving here in late October of 2025.

He then played 110 special teams snaps in the final nine games of last year, becoming a key part of that phase for the Panthers.

"You know, man, just the culture here sort of embraced me, and I sort of fell in line," Gipson said. "I just started taking advantage of my opportunities. When I wasn't on defense, I would just sort of let my physicality play out against special teams, obviously, and I think that did me some service.

"So, you know, at the end of the day, Tracy knows like if I need to fill in in whatever position he wants me to, that I'm going to give it my all for sure, right?"

Gipson laughed when asked about the offer to return kicks, and pointed toward injured special teams mainstay Thomas Incoom in the locker next to him.

"That's true, I offered, but only because TI went down; my hopes got a little bit better while he's down, I'm going to try to take advantage," Gipson said. "I try my best, and I want to help the team in whichever way I can.

"Honestly, regardless, special teams starts the game off, whether it's kickoff return or kickoff. So those guys are the ones that lead us out to the game, and you know, at the end of the day, we feed off their energy. And they're just as important as offense and defense, and whenever we can help out, we help out."

Outside linebacker Trevis Gipson is seen during

Being multiple is part of the mantra of that room. No one can do just one thing, because any injury anywhere else on the roster can shuffle the deck. When Incoom was injured earlier this season, it took four different players to replace him in that game.

So Gipson leans into that versatility. He said he could play inside linebacker if need be, as inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson looked on suspiciously.

"If everything just hit the fan, I would be the first to raise my hand," Gipson said. "I don't know if I'd get picked, but I would definitely raise my hand."

And now that he's becoming more of this special teams world, he's looking to further diversify his portfolio.

"I can't kick, but I do want to learn how to snap," he said. "We got some old snappers in this league, and I think if I can extend my career by learning how to snap, that'll do nothing but help me."

(For now, 40-year-old JJ Jansen has that position on lock.)

But it's the want to that matters, because opportunity is never far away. With veteran do-it-all receiver David Moore no longer on the active roster (he was signed back to the practice squad a day later), they started looking at more punt returners this week. That included defending rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan, though head coach Dave Canales said he'd be encouraging him to fair catch.

But that's kind of what they thought when Coker went in there in Week 2, and you saw what happened.

Cornerback Will Lee III, wide receiver Jalen Coker, outside linebacker Thomas Incoom, wide receiver Xavier Legette and Daren Bates are seen during Carolina Panthers game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

"I mean, I think it's just that we've got a bunch of gamers, guys that want to play, get on the field and want to help the team win in any way," Coker said. "I would say so, yeah, I think it is fun. Catching punts is really fun, and I hadn't done it in a while, so it was good to go back out there and, get some yards. I mean, everybody just jumps in where the can."

So the door's not closed on Gipson's chance to return kicks. Not completely, at least.

"How about next preseason?" Canales laughed.

The dream lives on.

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Outside Linebacker Jaelan Phillips is seen during the Carolina Panthers practice on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.