The Carolina Panthers got real production out of their passing game last season, and a big part of that came from a pair that still feels like it should be getting more attention.
Bryce Young’s steady growth helped push the offense forward, but so did the second-half rise of Jalen Coker and the NFL arrival of Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan, the former University of Arizona wideout, immediately made his presence felt in his debut season and finished as Carolina’s most productive receiver.
He led Dave Canales’s team with 70 catches, 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions. For perspective, Xavier Legette finished 2024 with a team-best 49 receptions, while Adam Thielen paced the Panthers with 615 receiving yards and only five touchdown catches.
Coker’s path looked different, but the finish line was just as impressive. He sat out the first six games in 2025, then found his footing and surged over Carolina’s final five games plus the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Over his last six outings, the former Holy Cross standout hauled in 28 passes for 378 yards, averaged 13.5 yards per catch and scored four times. That stretch included nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in the wild card defeat to the Rams.
McMillan was just as busy during that same run. He posted 19 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns in those six games. Put the two together, and Coker and McMillan combined for 47 catches, 690 yards and six touchdowns over that span.
That kind of output would seem worthy of plenty of league-wide respect, which is why Jared Dubin of CBS Sports ranking the NFL’s top wide receiver duos raised some eyebrows. At the top, no surprise, were the Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens came next, followed by the Los Angeles Rams’ Puca Kukua and Davante Adams.
Dubin listed eight duos in all, then added 10 more as “honorable(-ish) mentions.” That made for 18 teams, more than half the league, and still no sign of Carolina’s McMillan and Coker.
There was some room for debate in the list, too. Denver’s Cortland Sutton and former Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle landed at No. 6 even though Waddle was acquired by trade this offseason.
One spot below that was New England’s A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, with Brown coming over from the Eagles in a trade and Doubs arriving from the Packers via free agency.
Two NFC South rivals also showed up ahead of the Panthers in the honorable mention group. The Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka fit the bill, but the Saints’ Chris Olave and Jordan Tyson made the cut as well, even though Tyson was the eighth overall pick in April’s draft and has not played in an NFL game yet.
Maybe that’s just the way these lists go. Or maybe it gives Carolina’s rising receiver duo a little extra fuel the next time they take the field.
In Other News...
Panthers Fans Should Be Worried About Jimmy Horn Jr's Roster Chances
The Panthers receiver room is crowded enough that the back end of the roster could come down to a few training camp practices and special teams snaps. Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Chris Brazzell II and Xavier Legette look like the safest bets to stick, while David Moores value on special teams and his familiarity with Dave Canales give him a strong case as well.
That leaves Jimmy Horn Jr. in a tougher spot than some of the other young receivers fighting for attention. He is in the mix with John Metchie for what may be the final opening, with Malick Meiga also lurking as a possible spoiler, and Horns case is complicated by a quiet rookie season in which he finished with 11 catches for 108 yards and spent plenty of time as a healthy scratch. The next few weeks will decide whether he can force his way into the picture or become one of the odd men out. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Fortner Weighs In As Bryce Young Center Battle Takes Shape
Luke Fortners first spring with Carolina has been about more than just learning a new playbook. The veteran center signed a one-year deal after four seasons split between Jacksonville and New Orleans, and he has quickly found himself in the middle of a competition for the starting job. Rookie Sam Hecht is in the mix too, but Fortner has the kind of experience that usually gives a player a head start when a team is trying to settle the middle of its offensive line.
For Fortner, the adjustment with Bryce Young has been straightforward, even with a smaller quarterback than the ones he worked with before. He said the spring reps have gone well and that snapping to Young does not change the centers responsibilities much at all. The bigger question now is how the Panthers sort out the battle from here, especially with the winner positioned to become Youngs primary center after the club has cycled through that spot over the past two seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Defense Is Suddenly Drawing The Kind Of Buzz Fans Crave
Theres a different kind of optimism building around Carolinas defense as the offseason turns toward camp, and it starts with the idea that this group can finally look like a unit that changes games instead of just surviving them. The front offices additions have given defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero more pieces to work with, especially on the back end of the run defense and in the pass-rush mix, and the overall feeling is that this could become one of the leagues more complete defenses if the new parts fit quickly.
Everos challenge is turning that talent into consistent disruption without leaning too heavily on the blitz. His plan is to use versatility and movement up front to make blocking schemes harder to sort out, which is exactly the kind of approach that can lift a defense from respectable to dangerous. The lingering question is whether the Panthers can get enough pressure from the edge and the linebacker group to make the whole thing click, because the buzz is real only if the rush finally catches up to the rest of the defense. [Read more 🡒]