The Carolina Panthers have a lot of new faces in their wide receivers room. But none of those, including the ones that were already there, are the face of the position.
So, who will end up assuming the role as the “top dog” during the 2023 season?
Will it be a returning Terrace Marshall Jr., who may be on the cusp of a breakout campaign? Will it be the newer second-round pick in Jonathan Mingo? Or will it be one of the veterans in DJ Chark or Adam Thielen?
Well, here’s what Darin Gantt of Panthers.com thinks:
“I still think of the lot of ’em, Thielen’s probably the favorite to catch more balls than anybody, among that group of receivers,” Gantt said this past week to NBC Sports’ Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter. “But, again, is he gonna go downfield? No. Is he going to be that same kind of intermediate threat, even?
“He’s going to be set up to catch a bunch of short touchdown passes this year—simply because when you get in that situation, who do you trust? You trust Adam Thielen.”
The soon-to-be 33-year-old isn’t the same two-time Pro Bowler he once was. In fact, the last time he hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark was in his last all-star campaign—back in 2018.
But, as Gantt notes, Thielen can still be trusted in the paint. Despite the lack of prime yardage, he’s scored 30 touchdowns over his last 45 regular-season games.
And if he’s indeed ol’ reliable for this younger group of pass catchers, Thielen could be the leader for them as well.
