Adam Thielen wasn’t a part of the most effective wide receiver room in his first season with the Carolina Panthers. But there’s quite a bit of optimism for the group in Season No. 2.
The 11th-year veteran recently appeared on an episode of The Insiders, where he talked about Carolina’s revamped offense heading into the 2024 campaign. And while that unit has brought in a few fresh faces at the wideout position, Thielen believes that some of the familiar ones will bring a new feel this time around.
“Yeah, it’s been a really exciting offseason to see those guys go to work,” Thielen said, via NFL.com. “Some of the young guys get so much better — (Jonathan) Mingo, Terrace Marshall (Jr.). There are so many talented guys that weren’t really able to be themselves last year or years in the past. So, it’s been really cool to see them grow as players.”
Mingo and Marshall Jr., both second-round picks by the Panthers, have yet to put forth any worthwhile production as pros. The former amassed 418 receiving yards and no touchdowns as a rookie in 2023 while the latter has totaled 767 yards and only one score over three NFL seasons.
Thielen also talked about those aforementioned new faces—former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson and this 32nd overall pick Xavier Legette.
“Then Diontae, he’s just a special football player,” Thielen added. “The way that he moves and changes direction and can really track the football, you could tell it was an instant boost to that group and our team. So, I’m very excited about that. It’s great to have a talented rookie coming in that has a different skill set from the rest of us. He’s a big, strong, physical, fast guy that could do a lot of things. When you are able to have a few guys that could do a lot of different things, it creates a very easy, organic way to have success on offense.”
While last season wasn’t a memorable one for the Panthers offense, Thielen did piece together an impressive line himself—reeling in 103 balls for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. But we’re willing to bet he’d trade some of those numbers in for a step up from the rest of his guys.
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