How the Panthers and Bryce Young distributed targets in Jalen Coker’s return to lineup

Bryce Young had one of his top weapons back in the lineup on Sunday.

Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) celebrates with tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) and wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For the first time in several weeks, breakout undrafted rookie Jalen Coker was back in the lineup for the Carolina Panthers. He was a player whose size and speed, as well as his reliable hands, were sorely missed while he recovered from his quad injury.

Fellow rookie Xavier Legette went down in the second half with a groin injury, so the wide receiver depth wasn't at full strength for the entire game. The Panthers also curiously abandoned the run for huge portions of the game and put the ball in the air a lot. Here's how they divied up targets on Sunday.

How Bryce Young targeted his wide receivers on Sunday

Aside from Xavier Legette leaving the game late, the rest of the Carolina Panthers pass-catchers remained healthy throughout the game. It was clear from the get-go, even if the offense got out of synch and fell apart at times, that Jalen Coker was the go-to guy and the real difference-maker.

Coker had the lone big play on offense, an 83-yard touchdown at the end of the first half. He had six targets overall, pulling in six of them for 110 yards and the lone passing score on the day. Adam Thielen again led the team in targets with seven. He made five catches for 51 yards.

David Moore was next with four targets. He only pulled in two of them and had a pretty bad drop on one of them. He finished with just 19 yards on those two catches. Running back Chuba Hubbard caught all four of his targets, but it doesn't count an egregious drop on a play that would have been at least 20 yards that was negated by a defensive penalty.

Before leaving, Legette caught two of three targets for just 17 yards. Rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders couldn't catch his lone target, a slightly high throw that passed through his hands late in the fourth quarter.

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