Panthers vet Adam Thielen in a league of his own on this PFF deep reception chart

Thielen might have been the best deep receiver in the NFL last season... by a lot.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) takes the field during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. | / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

What the Carolina Panthers were at the start of the 2024 NFL season is beyond irrelevant. Not only did they finish last year on a positive note, they've followed it up with a strong offseason - inspiring more than just hope from hopeless Carolina homers. Some analysts believe this team is finally about to turn the corner.

Defensively, the Panthers may have finished with the worst scoring defense in league history. However, their pass rush was trending up at the end of the season. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball Bryce Young was hitting his stride - and some advanced stats indicate he was playing on a Lamar Jackson-Josh Allen type level in the second half of the season.

Impressive as Young was down the strech, a good passing attack is a two-way street, and Young's late-season surge wouldn't have been possible without long-time NFL veteran Adam Thielen, who was playing better than anyone else on the roster at season's end.

In fact, according to this chart from PFF showing deep separation and deep grade, Thielen was in a league of his own last season on those long balls.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen dominates deep game

How much separation WRs generated on deep routes as well as their grade at the catchpoint when targeted on those routes pic.twitter.com/HKQtghL6nR

— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) May 21, 2025

Fascinating stuff, here - including a cameo by former Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel on the other end of this universe.

To some extent, each season is its own unique challenge and things don't carry over much from one year to the next. On the other hand, the Bryce Young-Adam Thielen vertical dynamic was arguably the most potent offensive weapon in the NFL the last time they were out there together.

Looking ahead, Tetairoa McMillan will obviously eat a huge piece of the target pie, and both Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker deserve some looks, but it would be a pretty big mistake to let Thielen get lost in the shuffle.

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