CHARLOTTE — Jordan Matthews laughed when asked Monday what his mother did for NASA.

"She was a computer engineer," he replied. "And I'm not smart enough to answer the rest of that question."

Don't let him sandbag you, he went to Vanderbilt.

It's a little bit like when he's asked about showing up early to practice, at least 45 minutes before it starts every day, to begin an elaborate warm-up routine.

"Ain't nothing left for me in this locker room," he tells his teammates. "Everything that God's got for me is on this grass."

Don't let him sandbag you; this is all very on purpose, and he knows exactly what he's doing.

The 32-year-old wide-receiver-turned-tight-end is intentional about everything he does because, at this stage in his career, it's his best chance to continue doing what he loves.

He came in here at a time of desperation last season when the Panthers were running out of tight ends, and a converted one would do. Now, he's standing out in an injury-depleted group and offering value in multiple ways, in part because of how smart he is and the way he works.

"Look, I'm just going out there every day and trying to figure out, all right, how can I fit into this thing as best as possible?" Matthews said.

With Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble missing time with injuries, rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders still learning the ways of the NFL world, and with new guys rolling in on a regular basis because you need bodies to get through a training camp, Matthews has found a way to create something resembling a niche for himself.

"He's doing a fantastic job. We can count on him," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "He's giving everything he's got on (special) teams, and especially just with that tight end group, just knowing you have a guy who's doing what he's supposed to do in there as we put our groups together is really valuable at this time, especially with Tommy and Ian not being there."

Fitting in like that wasn't the projected path, not for a guy who was a star receiver in college, setting an SEC record (since broken by Amari Cooper) with 112 catches in 2013.

So the former second-round pick of the Eagles, and a projected No. 1 receiver prospect, is looking like a dependable tight end here, with his 28-yard reception last Thursday the big play of the night on offense.

It doesn't happen like that by accident. Nothing he does is accidental.

It begins when he walks into the practice field; often, when there's still dew on the grass, he's so early.

He has a particular routine to get ready, using a number of unique training methods. He wears glasses that flash into his eyes like strobes to help him concentrate. He'll face the wall of the equipment shed and catch tennis balls thrown from behind him to work on his concentration. While the Jugs machine is the standard for getting extra catches in, he'll go rapid-fire with the same tennis balls to keep his hands on point for whatever opportunity arises.

"I got kids to pay for private school for, so playing Blu-Ray and all that playing ping pong, they don't do nothing for me," Matthews said. "I need to get out of here, get my body going, get my mind right. Because I love this game, and you've got to respect it, and the second you don't, you'll be done with it."

He said he learned that work ethic from his parents while growing up near Huntsville, Ala. His mother worked at NASA, and his father worked for the Department of Defense in one of the hubs of the space exploration industry, so he's just doing what he was taught.

"They do stuff that's way over my head," he said, sandbagging again. "But at the same time, I pieced enough together to know that they weren't leaving home just to go play around; they were getting stuff done.

"I saw parents that put the work in and put the time in. So I feel like it's my responsibility now as a father and as a husband to do that for my family. So, I take a lot of pride in having the ability to go do what I love to do, especially for an organization like this. So I just think there's a respect level you've got to have when you have the opportunity and you've got to give that back."

That kind of serious approach is obviously the latest, but it really kicked in when he realized his chances to continue to play might be dwindling. After three solid seasons with the Eagles (they were actually pretty good, even if they weren't in line with expectations that come when your team trades up to take you in the second round), he was traded to the Bills, beginning a winding journey across the country and the NFL. After a year in Buffalo, he signed with the Patriots but was released. He ended up back with the short-handed Eagles but signed with the 49ers in the spring of 2019. Released in midseason, he ended up back with the Eagles a third time and then back with the 49ers again.

(Another one of the things a sandbagger never admits is to get that many chances with good organizations, you must be doing something right.)

Upon going back to the 49ers, he made coach Kyle Shanahan an offer. Since he was doing a lot of blocking anyway, he asked if he could be a tight end. Sure, Shanahan told him, as long as he got up to 235 pounds by July 4th. That was fine, except he was 215 on May 30th when Shanahan mentioned it.

"So he gave me a month to gain 20 pounds, and I knew he still wanted me to be able to run the same way I could run," Matthews said. "He wanted me to be receiving tight end. But what it did was it forced me to go to another level of preparation. I could just wake up and be a receiver but to put on 20 pounds, not lose weight, not gain 5 percent body fat, and still be able to play football at a high level was tough.

"I never used to think about what I just ate that much. But at that point, I got a chef, I was eating at 5:30, 8:30 11:30, 2:30, 5:30, 8:30. Ten ounces of grains, four ounces of protein, couple of veggies. I ate so many freaking digestive enzymes that it'd make your head spin, to get food down, and then protein shakes mixed in after workouts. I never had to put that much time into a process before playing receiver. It was just about what I do on the field.

"That process, it didn't escape me at all times. Like, what's my weight like? How's my body feel? What's my inflammation like? So, it just took me to another level of the grind. But I realized at that point, I really do love this. I really do love it. And this is what I've always wanted to do. And it just continued to push me."

That kind of effort is still evident. NFL teams aren't usually in the business of harboring 32-year-old projects, but Matthews was willing to do whatever to stay around, even if that meant joining the practice squad of a bad team in 2023 because they offered him a chance.

He talked about running down kicks as part of a "holistic approach" to the game, which is not normal for guys who grow up conditioned to expect the ball on third down or in the red zone. And as he approaches this chance — and 32-year-old conversion projects are far from a sure thing around here — he genuinely seems at peace with his place in the world.

You don't show up as early as he does, or work the way he does, or fight for a last chance unless you are.

"I think that's also been cool about this whole growth; I've really enjoyed it," Matthews said. "I kind of wish I would have probably done it even sooner, man, because I think I'm a better man because of the tight end position. I really like it a lot.

"I've never taken that fear approach. I've always thought if you go after something with all intentionality, you're probably going to end up, if you don't hit that, you'll be successful in something else. I don't go at life with that fear mindset.

"You've just got to go, you've got to trust it, and usually good stuff will happen if you're doing it the right way."