Showdown in Carolina: Who is Winning the Wide Receiver Battle at Panthers Training Camp?

The Carolina Panthers had the worst receiving corps in the NFL in 2023. In just two years, the team has transformed their wide receiver room into arguably one of the deepest in the league heading into 2025. “It’s a really really competitive, really deep receiver room,” says QB Bryce Young. Now, the front office and fans-alike are asking a different question: how many wide receivers will we keep on the final roster, and who will earn the final spots?

Here is a list of the wide receivers currently on the Carolina Panthers roster: Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Adam Thielen, Jimmy Horn Jr, David Moore, Hunter Renfrow, Jacolby George, Kobe Hudson, T.J. Luther, Brycen Tremayne.

Thielen, McMillan, Legette

Tetairoa McMillan: We drafted Tetairoa McMillan in the top-ten of the NFL Draft to be our surefire WR1. Based on early reports from training camp, McMillan is looking smooth in and out of his breaks and is showcasing his steady hands. “It’s good to see T-Mac rise to the challenge, the DB’s are challenging him every single time. He’s inviting that. To see him stay even, process what happens, and evolve each practice is really cool,” Coach Canales said. QB, Bryce Young, mentioned that “he has a great feel, does a great job of understanding man versus zone. And, he has a great knack for–as soon as he catches it and secures it, he becomes a runner. It’s what you love as a QB, when you can complete a fifteen yard pass and it can turn into an explosive play beyond that.”

Xavier Legette: Xavier Legette has had a busy offseason both on and off the field. He has had a handful of high-profile media and pop-culture appearances, and he had been training heavily on his own before training camp. Xavier is a former first round selection, and the expectations should be sky-high for the Sophomore out of South Carolina. On brand, Coach Canales has mentioned that XL looks “big and fast” this offseason. Legette hopes to dial in his route-running and hand-stability heading into 2025. Our front office and the fanbase should expect Xavier to emerge as a dominant WR2 at minimum and push Nalo for the WR1 spot early on in the season.

Jalen Coker

Jalen Coker: Coach Canales opened Monday’s press conference discussing some of the WR’s and mentioned that “Jalen Coker has had such a great camp so far. He’s bursting at the top, he’s creating separation, he’s finding edges.” Coker was a highly-touted UDFA last year, and he stood out in every way imaginable. Jalen is one of the cleanest and most pro-ready WR’s on this roster, and our front office can anticipate a strong Sophomore campaign from Coker. “The competitive spirit that he has come out with, being physical, making contested catches, really taking the challenge… him coming in and playing with an edge, you feel his presence when he’s out there. I love his mindset and the way he works. I have all the confidence in him,” says Bryce Young. Jalen has incredibly high potential. He should be more heavily involved in the Panthers offense this season after putting his abilities on display last year and thus far in training camp.

Adam Thielen: Adam Thielen is the most proven WR in this room. He has had a long and successful NFL career, and he has continued to make an impact in his first two years with the Carolina Panthers. Adam is a reliable target for Bryce Young. However, the goal for this WR room should be to not rely so heavily on Thielen. As Adam Thielen gets closer to retirement, our younger players should emerge as the key pieces of this offense. Don’t get it twisted though: Adam Thielen has proven to the entire NFL that he can still play ball, even at 35 years of age. 

Jimmy Horn Jr.

Jimmy Horn Jr: Arguably the most talked about player from Panthers OTA’s and now training camp, Jimmy Horn Jr seems to be a favorite amongst the Panthers coaching staff and fans alike. A late-round draft pick, Horn Jr seems to have the explosiveness and speed to become a real difference-maker for the Carolina Panthers, both in the offense and in the return game. Horn was even seen working with the first team at times towards the end of last week. Panthers TE, Ja’Tavion Sanders, mentioned that “he’s got great speed, even better route runner. The way he can get his body to get in and out of breaks. It's nothing you can prepare for.” The Panthers are long overdue for a late-round star, and Jimmy Horn Jr seems to be an obvious early candidate.

Hunter Renfrow

Hunter Renfrow: After taking a full year off from football, many voices around the league have been wondering if Hunter Renfrow can make a difference–or even make the roster–for the Panthers this year. Just over a week into training camp, and it seems as though we may have our answer. Renfrow seems to have returned with his signature route-running precision and ability to get open in tight spaces. Coach Canales mentioned that “he looks like the Hunter that I remembered, I watch him and his route craft, understanding coverages and leverages.” Renfrow has high-upside and can do specific things as a WR incredibly well; if he continues to showcase these abilities, it will be a no-brainer to keep him on the roster. Hunter’s former college coach, Dabo Swinney, was at camp this Monday and mentioned that when Renfrow puts his helmet on “he turns into superman.” Panthers QB, Bryce Young, says that “he has such a great feel for the game… a great knack for getting open. Super excited to continue to build chemistry with him.”

David Moore: David Moore is a player who is tightly in the conversation for one of our final WR roster spots. Moore has been working with Coach Canales for many years, dating back to their time in Seattle, and he came up big in a handful of moments last season. David Moore offers reliability, experience, and steady hands for Bryce Young, and it can’t be understated how important it is that he has previous experience and comfortability with our starting QB. “D Mo, being the steady and consistent guy he is… and also being one of the vets in the room too, he’s been in the system for a while. He’s done a great job helping out the young guys… someone who is always doing the right thing. That’s what coaches want to see,” said Bryce Young.

UDFAs: This year’s UDFA’s, Kobe Hudson and Jacolby George, are going to push for roster spots as well and challenge the veteran players on this roster. While this is a deep and competitive team, don’t put it past either of these guys to show out in pre-season and make the decision even more difficult for our front office. Dan Morgan said that “they’re young, talented guys. They’re guys that we’re really excited about, and they’ll create competition on the backend.”

What Are We Thinking?

This front office and coaching staff has made it quite clear that they will prioritize “good football players.” Granted, I don’t believe that means we will take nine WR’s on the roster, but if there is an opportunity for a player to impact winning and make a difference for us this year, then I anticipate our front office finding a spot for them on the roster. There are a handful of locks: Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, and Jalen Coker are non-negotiables. Beyond that, I could see the team keeping six or seven WRs. It is important to remember that this battle is only getting started, however. We will get a much better idea of where things stand as camp progresses and as we see live game-action in preseason. The positive side of things is that every one in this room brings a little something different, and we’ve seen positive flashes from the entire room in camp thus far.

Photos Via: Carolina Panthers