Could Panthers sign Hunter Renfrow while Adam Thielen is on injured reserve?

Could free agent wide receiver Hunter Renfrow help fill the void on the depth chart with Thielen out?

Tim Weaver | 12 Hours Ago

Nov 19, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) leaps over Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers' offense is humming along. Their new starting quarterback Andy Dalton is slinging it like it's 2015, their offensive line is one of the best in the NFL, their running back room is good and only going to get better once Jonathon Brooks is activated. Their wide receiver corps is also vastly improved compared to last season, when Adam Thielen totaled nearly twice as many receiving yards as any other player on the team.

Thielen is now the WR3 for this group after the offseason additions of Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette. That makes this at worst an average wide receiver room compared to the rest of the league. To keep the good passing game vibes going while Thielen is on injured reserve with a "severe" hamstring injury, they might want to sign somebody to help fil that void. According to Bleacher Report they should sign former Clemson wideout Hunter Renfrow.

B/R on Hunter Renfrow to Panthers

"Specifically, the team could use someone who can operate out of the slot. Also, it'd be smart to use this as an opportunity to bring in someone on the younger side who could be part of the club's long-term plans. Renfrow is just 28 years old and has a 1,000-yard season on his résumé. Plus, he's from South Carolina and went to Clemson, so this would be a homecoming of sorts."

After Thielen was officially placed on injured reserve the Panthers promoted undrafted rookie Jalen Coker from the practice squad. We'd rather see what Coker can do with a few more targets at the moment, but there is some logic to signing Renfrow, who would make as strong a number four wide receiver as there is in the league outside Seattle, where they have a low-key gem in Jake Bobo.

Why Hunter Renfrow to Panthers probably won't happen

In the long run, Renfrow would take over Thielen's place in the offense and his skillset would make him a snug fit with Legette and Johnson. Problem is, the Panthers don't have enough cap space to sign Renfrow or anybody else right now. According to the latest figures at Over the Cap, they have less than $686,000 in cap room. General manager Dan Morgan will have to get creative in order to add any difference-makers the rest of this season.