It\u2019s safe to say that tight end Feleipe Franks is happy to be back with the Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a real breath of fresh air\u2026 the vibe, man. The people, the culture, you gravitate towards those things,\u201d Franks said<\/a>. \u201cI loved it here, and I was excited to come back here.\u201d<\/p>\n That one word keeps coming up: culture.<\/p>\n This signing wasn\u2019t exactly about stabilizing the tight end position<\/a>. In fact, Franks has just one career catch for 12 receiving yards. He\u2019s played 128 offensive snaps in four seasons. And he\u2019s played over 600 special teams snaps the last two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s a solid depth piece, but the Panthers see something bigger<\/a> than a depth piece.<\/p>\n Carolina Panthers find themselves in a situation most fans thought would never come back<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he\u2019s your teammate, you love him. When he\u2019s your opponent, he\u2019s a nuisance,\u201d safety Nick Scott said. \u201cThe energy he brings to our locker room\u2026 It\u2019s going to be a huge boost.\u201d<\/p>\n All offseason, general manager Dan Morgan has repeated the same message: players now want to come to Carolina. Free agents are hearing things about the Panthers\u2019 locker room. About the atmosphere. About the people inside the building. Franks is living proof of that shift.<\/p>\n He left for the Atlanta Falcons last offseason, the team that originally signed him as an undrafted quarterback out of Florida and converted him to tight end. But Franks couldn\u2019t wait to get back up I-85.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can tell what coach Dave is building,\u201d Franks said. \u201cYou can see it in how people are walking in the building. You can see how many guys are here working out in the offseason. That\u2019s the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Franks lights up when he talks about running down on kick coverage with guys like Thomas Incoom and Scott. That phase of the game requires buy-in, effort, and pride without glory.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are guys who don\u2019t know how to adapt to special teams,\u201d Franks said. \u201cBut the people who really take to it, you can see the difference. I love my role. I\u2019ll die on that hill.\u201d<\/p>\n