Simply because the Panthers’ passing assault woke up, will probably be with out its most skilled possibility. Adam Thielen, who caught a landing go in Carolina’s Week 3 win, will likely be shut down for some time.
Thielen suffered a hamstring harm, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reviews the Panthers will place the veteran vast receiver on IR. This transfer will give the 2023 free company pickup time to get better earlier than the midseason level.
Hamstring maladies can definitely linger, and it may not be a lock if Thielen returns when first eligible. The 34-year-old wideout sustained what ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler calls a reasonably vital harm. The Panthers noticed a hamstring harm sideline Jaycee Horn for 10 video games in 2023, with the IR transfer involving the cornerback sidelining him for nearly all of Frank Reich‘s short-lived tenure. Thielen will likely be shut down till a minimum of Week 8.
A notable market fashioned for Thielen following his 2023 Vikings launch, and the Panthers gained out with a three-year deal value $25M. Thielen, who commanded a $14M assure at signing, was far and away Carolina’s prime go catcher final season. His 1,014 receiving yards led an anemic Panthers offense by practically 500. Carolina, nevertheless, has since remade its receiving corps by buying and selling for Diontae Johnson and utilizing a first-round choose on Xavier Legette. This duo will likely be referred to as to select up the slack whereas Thielen rehabs.
Thielen’s harm occurred throughout his diving TD catch from new starter Andy Dalton. It will mark the previous UDFA’s first missed sport motion for the reason that 2021 season when he missed 4 contests. Thielen now has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, which produced two Vikings extensions and his present Panthers pact. At 34, nevertheless, the Division II product is the NFL’s oldest energetic wideout.
Whereas Thielen’s post-2024 Charlotte future is doubtful on account of his age and nonguaranteed wage, this 12 months’s version will definitely miss the reliable possession goal. Johnson is coming off a career-high 122 receiving yards with Dalton taking on for Bryce Younger, however it will thrust two of Carolina’s younger targets — Legette and second-year cog Jonathan Mingo — into heavier workloads. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how the youthful pair responds now that extra will likely be anticipated following Dalton’s sturdy exhibiting.
