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Tetairoa McMillan Elevates Bryce Young
The Carolina Panthers are entering the 2025 season with one of the more interesting wide receiver rooms in the NFL, but the possible trade of one veteran wide receiver could open the door for a young one to step up.
According toAdam Schefter, the Minnesota Vikings have interest in trading for veteran wide receiver and former Viking, Adam Thielen.This comes following the three-game suspension of Jordan Addison and a hand injury to Jalen Nailor, leaving the Vikings lacking in depth at the position beyond Justin Jefferson.
Departing with Thielen would leave the Panthers with one of the youngest receiver rooms in the NFL, but with that comes opportunity for the young guys needing to take his spot. One of the potential candidates that could land a larger role this season is Jalen Coker.
Underrated 2024
When Jalen Coker was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers out of Holy Cross University, thereweren’t grand expectations for him. The First-team FCS All-American, though, worked andimpressed coaches throughout training camp and the preseason. Coker, in his third preseason game in 2024, made a good initial impression against the Buffalo Bills, catching three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Xavier Legette was the heralded rookie wide receiver for the Panthers in 2024 due to his first-round status, but a closer examination of their seasons shows Coker outplayed Legette. According to hisPro Football Reference page, Legette had49 receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games, as well as 10.1 yards per reception. However, Legette only had a 44% receiving success rate and 58.3% catch percentage.
According toCoker’s Pro Football Reference page, he had 32 receptions for 478 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games, to go along with 14.9 yards per reception. Coker also outpaced Legette with a 58.7% receiving success rate and a 69.6% catch percentage.
Despite more limited action, Coker significantly outperformed Legette, including being the only one of the two to have a 100-yard receiving game. Coker achieved this in Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys, when he put up four receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. Coker has carried over his end-of-season momentum into 2025.
Impressive Training Camp
Jalen Coker has been a man on a mission this Panthers training camp to prove that he is deserving of a more significant role in the upcoming regular season. According to Kassidy Hill ofPanthers.com in her August 9 article, Coker sat down with head coach Dave Canales, vice president of player health and performance Denny Kellington, and director of performance Josh Hingst to develop an offseason training plan to limit injuries and takeCoker’s career to the next level. Over the offseason, Coker closely followed the plan, and it has paid dividends for him in training camp and the preseason.
Coker’s improvement and work ethic have especially caught the eye of his quarterback, Bryce Young. Young spoke to Hill after throwing Coker a touchdown pass in thePanthers’ preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.
“He’s been on a mission, and it shows up,”said Young. “It showed up today.It’s showing up during camp, showed up during OTAs,that’s just the kind of player, kind of worker he is. So,it’s great to see that come to fruition today.”
The trajectory that Coker has been on since the end of last year and into this season’s training camp and preseason should catapult him into a more prominent role in thePanthers’ offense, whether Adam Thielen is on the team or not.