The Carolina Panthers are putting wide receiver Adam Thielen on injured reserve according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Thielen injured his hamstring while making a 31-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter during Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He'll have to miss at least the next four games per the injured reserve rules, but he could be back for Carolina's Week 8 road matchup with the Denver Broncos.
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Thielen's absence will be a big blow for a Panthers offense that finally showed some life last week. Quarterback Andy Dalton has good chemistry with Thielen, as highlighted by Thielen's three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown during the first half of last week's game.
The Panthers promoted undrafted free agent rookie receiver Jalen Coker from the practice squad to fill Thielen's spot on the 53-man roster. You can expect more targets for receivers such as Jonathan Mingo, Xavier Legette and David Moore with Thielen out of action.
There may even be an bigger increase for No. 1 receiver Diontae Johnson, who had a huge performance last week with eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. With Dalton now at the helm, Johnson will have more opportunities to produce like that and prove that he can a top wide receiver in the NFL.
When Thielen returns, he'll look to get back to his 2023 form when he caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, his most productive year since 2018. Thielen is a master route runner with sure hands and still has enough juice to produce yards after the catch. He's under contract with the Panthers through the 2025 season.
