The Carolina Panthers and their struggling offense got a jolt of energy last week with new quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton was named the starter after Carolina made the decision to bench 2023 NFL Draft #1 pick Bryce Young, and Dalton came in and immediately provided the Panthers offense with a boost. Dalton threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns on the day, the only such performance in the NFL this season.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Panthers offense, though, as starting wide receiver Adam Thielen suffered a hamstring injury during the first half of their game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Thielen scored a touchdown on the play, but was forced to exit with the injury and has been placed on injured reserve – meaning he’ll be out for at least the next four weeks as he recovers.
This leaves the Panthers in the odd position of feeling good about their offense after their quarterback breathed some life into a previously stagnant offense, but also apprehensive about losing their #2 wide receiver for the foreseeable future. The Panthers are going to need one of their young wide receivers to step up and fill the void, but which receiver will be the one to do so?
The most likely answer is second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo. Mingo struggled in his first season with the Panthers, coming down with 43 receptions for 418 yards and no touchdowns in his rookie campaign. Through two games this season, it was a similar story for Mingo, with just three receptions on seven targets, for 41 yards and no touchdowns.
Mingo didn’t see a boost to the box score stats on Sunday with Dalton inserted in the lineup, as he only had three catches on the day for 18 yards, but he did show some encouraging signs that he can be the one who steps into the void that Thielen’s injury leaves in the Panthers offense.
Mingo was in on 49 of the Panthers offensive snaps on Sunday, which is a season high for him. He was also able to convert 75% of his targets into receptions, and was also given the ball on an end-around to get the ball into his hands through more avenues than just as a receiver. The increased workload would seem to indicate the Panthers are going to give Mingo every opportunity to step up his game in Thielen’s absence.
What Mingo does with the opportunity remains to be seen, but the trust seems to be there. Mingo came to the Panthers with a lot of hype from NFL Draft analysts. Now may finally be the time Mingo shows what so many – including the Panthers – saw in him.
