Will Tommy Tremble be battling for his job when he returns from back surgery?

Tight end Tommy Tremble was one of a handful of players who did not participate in the Carolina Panthers' first practice of OTAs on Tuesday, and we won't be seeing him on the field anytime soon.

"Tommy did have surgery on his back last week, a successful surgery," head coach Dave Canales told reporters Tuesday. "We were kind of thinking about it, talking about it, looking at timelines and all that, and just felt like for him to give him the (time). He's 25 years old. You know, let's get this thing while he's young and strong and be able to just get back on the right track."

Tremble had back trouble last season as well, so as Canales said, it's worth addressing the matter now. The expectation is that Tremble will begin his rehab around the start of training camp, which means fifth-round draft pick and Notre Dame product Mitchell Evans will have a massive opportunity to earn a role with expanded reps in August.

In all likelihood, Tremble will slowly get worked back into the mix and may even be held out of preseason games as a precaution. If that's the case, Evans could push Tremble for his job as TE2 behind Ja'Tavion Sanders.

The fact that Carolina has taken a tight end in the draft two years in a row says a lot about what the front office thinks of that room and perhaps their confidence in Tremble as a top option. Missing time is never ideal, but with Sanders coming off a strong rookie campaign and Evans having a chance to prove himself, Tremble could find himself fighting for his job.