The Carolina Panthers have re-signed tight end Ed Dickson to a three-year contract, the team announced Thursday.
“I’m heavily rooted in my immediate family and being here felt like family,” Dickson said. “From Mr. Richardson to Dave Gettleman to Ron Rivera, there is great leadership and that trickles down into the locker room with the leaders on our team. I’m excited to continue to work with the guys in the tight end room on and off the field. I feel honored to play with those guys again and have (tight ends coach) Pete Hoener coaching us.”
In 2014, Dickson’s first season with Carolina, he played in all 16 regular season games with 10 starts, seeing action at tight end and as a blocking back in place of injured fullback Mike Tolbert. Dickson totaled 10 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown. Dickson started both postseason games for Carolina, catching three passes for 67 yards (22.3-yard average).
“Down the stretch, Ed played a very valuable role for us,” head coach Ron Rivera. “Ed brings us that second tight end threat. He’s a guy that can both block and catch effectively. He and Greg Olsen give us a very good tandem. Ed showed his versatility when Mike Tolbert went down by being able to line up at some of the fullback positions too. That was very vital to allow (offensive coordinator) Mike Shula to continue to call the games the way he wanted to. We were still able to run a lot of ’21-personnel’ plays that required a fullback.”
Dickson, 6-4 and 255 pounds, played the first four seasons (2010-13) of his career with the Baltimore Ravens before joining Carolina. His best season came in 2011 when he posted career highs in starts (16), receptions (54), receiving yards (528) and touchdowns (five). He won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens after the 2012 season.
Dickson entered the NFL with the Ravens after being selected by the team in the third round (70th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oregon. In five NFL seasons, Dickson has played in 76 regular season games with 54 starts, totaling 121 receptions for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns. He has played in 10 postseason contests with seven starts, producing 13 receptions for 196 yards.
