Panthers HC says team has 'incredible opportunities' after Bryce Young lost key weapon to JJ McCarthy's Vikings

The Carolina Panthers had a very different wide receiver depth chart a week ago. However, after they cut Hunter Renfrow, and more importantly, they traded Adam Thielen to JJ McCarthy‘s Minnesota Vikings, Bryce Young‘s weaponry looks not as strong. This is not an issue for head coach Dave Canales, who stays optimistic.

Speaking via the team’s website, Canales said, “This is just an opportunity for guys to be there, and to be available for Bryce, whether it’s on a critical third down or whether it’s to win the game, you know, these are incredible opportunities for them.” The head coach is taking a classic ‘next man up’ approach.

The thing is now the WR room in Carolina looks slim. They went from having first rounder Tet McMillan, Adam Thielen, Hunter Renfrow and Xavier Legette, to now having a thin corp. McMillan will be the star, but now Legette will have to make leaps in form to be a respectable WR2 on the team. Jalen Coker and sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. will also need to step up heavily if this offense wants to be any good.

Thielen’s trade was shocking, but what about Renfrow?

While Thielen’s trade was shocking because there were reports that it was unlikely to happen, the Renfrow situation is as equally as confusing. Renfrow was a revelation during spring camp and training camp. Coaches were raving about him until he suffered a minor hamstring injury, from which he recovered. However, he got cut.

Hunter Renfrow in a game with the Panthers.

Dave Canales spoke on the matter too. “We have a couple of things on the table for him and we’re just gonna keep taking it one day at a time and see where he’s at.” He continued to say, “towards the end, like the last stretch of what I saw—I wanna be able to count on Hunter to be as good as he was the whole time. And I just saw some peaks and then I just saw some dips in terms of his performance.”

see also

Adam Thielen traded back to Minnesota: Vikings’ WR depth chart in 2025

They went from an above average WR corp to one that must prove they belong

With Thielen, Renfrow and McMillan, this was a sleeper wide receiver room that would create plenty of problems for the rest of the NFL teams. Without Thielen, who will be causing havoc for the Vikings with JJ McCarthy, and Renfrow, it’s now a corp that doesn’t impose fear.

Legette had 497 yards in his rookie season and now he needs to really step up for this offense. One number that could really solidify himself this year is tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. The second-year weapon was starting to get traction last year until he suffered a scary fall on his head. However, reports say he will be a massive weapon, especially when the receivers are not as top-tier as they were two weeks ago.