After finishing last season No. 31 in points and No. 32 in yards, the Panthers made a lot of offensive changes for 2024 — like trading for Diontae Johnson and trading up to select Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall.
In an interview with NFL Network, veteran Adam Thielen noted how those two receivers have added to the group. Plus, he’s also noticed improvement from players like Jonathan Bingo and Terrace Marshall Jr.
“It’s been a really exciting offseason to see those guys go to work,” Thielen said. “Some of the young guys get so much better — Mingo, Terrace Marshall. There are so many talented guys that weren’t really able to be themselves last year or years in the past. So, it’s been really cool to see them grow as players.
“Then Diontae, he’s just a special football player. The way that he moves and changes direction and can really track the football, you could tell it was an instant boost to that group and our team. So, I’m very excited about that. It’s great to have a talented rookie coming in that has a different skill set from the rest of us. He’s a big, strong, physical, fast guy that could do a lot of things. When you are able to have a few guys that could do a lot of different things, it creates a very easy, organic way to have success on offense.”
Johnson, 28, has 391 career receptions for 4,363 yards with 25 touchdowns in 77 games. He finished last year with 51 catches for 717 yards with five TDs in 13 games.
Carolina acquired Johnson in March in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson. The teams also swapped low-round draft picks in the deal.