Panthers WR Jalen Coker: Health, Performance Make Top 10 Carolina Player

The Carolina Panthers don't have a great passing offense, and they don't necessarily want to. They want to be a run-first team, but that doesn't negate the need for a viable passing attack. If the Panthers are going to be good, the aerial attack has to improve.

Having Jalen Coker healthy for all 17 games would be a fantastic start. When he's on the field, the numbers don't lie: the Panthers are significantly better. In some ways, this makes Coker supremely important for Bryce Young's future.

And of course, that makes him important to the Panthers. We ranked him 10th on our list of the most important Panthers players this season.

Jalen Coker's importance to the Panthers cannot be overstated

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) reaches for the catch during the first day | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers need Jalen Coker. That's why they signed him to a three-year extension despite him playing in a grand total of 22 games (and one playoff game) in two seasons.

We have covered the fact that Coker is the secret weapon the Panthers offense has. The numbers with and without him are staggering. With Coker, here are Young's stats:

64.6% completion percentage
6.6 yards per completion
5.1% TD percentage
2.2% INT percentage
91.2 passer rating

Without Coker, they drop to this:

59.5% completion percentage
5.8 yards per completion
3.5% TD percentage
2.4% INT percentage
77.4 passer rating

Almost across the board, Young does worse. The eye test backs this up for the whole offense. Not having a viable second target in the passing game is a big part of this, but so is Coker's immense talent.

Putting Legette into the Coker role just hasn't worked. Without Coker on the field, defenses can hone in on Tetairoa McMillan. So, not only does Coker add a good target for Young (with ample chemistry as well), but he takes pressure off of McMillan.

McMillan is good enough to succeed in spite of defensive attention, but that still makes Carolina's passing offense lackluster. Having Coker in there opens things up and forces defenses to play both of them a little more honest.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) makes a catch against the Los Angeles Rams | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

So, if Coker can stay healthy, the Panthers will have a passing offense that is noteworthy. If not, then things could get dicey. We've seen what Coker does when he's on the field almost every time, so it's not a matter of if he can hold up his performance. It's if his body can hold up.

Some numbers would suggest he's a better WR than McMillan. That may or may not be true, but either way, it makes Coker a supremely important figure this year.

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