Panthers are brewing up a plan that could take Tetairoa McMillan’s game to a new level ahead of crucial Year 2
Carolina Panthers know they have a rising star on their hands in WR Tetairoa McMillan, fresh off an Offensive Rookie of the Year worthy season. Now the question becomes, how can the team unlock even more in Year 2?
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is coming off a stellar rookie season in which he posted over 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, production worthy of Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Now, the staff in Carolina believes McMillan has another level to reach with his potential in this offense and are brewing up a plan to get him there. The team’s plan, in short, is trying out a position tweak combined along with an improved supporting cast that can elevate the second-year receiver from productive starter to true offensive focal point.
Tetairoa McMillan has already taken a physical and mental transformation going into Year 2
Speaking with reporters after practice on Friday, McMillan discussed some of the changes he’s noticed in himself, both physically and mentally, and how those can help him live up to (or even exceed) his 2025 standard going into his second season with the team.
“I guess it feels a little different just as far as my confidence,” McMillan told reporters . “And obviously as far as the team as well. They saw this past year what I’m able to bring to the team. What I’m able to do for everybody. I feel like they’re a lot more confident in me as well… The standard is set a lot higher. Everybody’s holding everybody to a higher standard. Just looking forward to meeting the expectations or exceeding them.”
The Panthers have noticed some of that physical change in McMillan as well heading into his second NFL season. General manager Dan Morgan noted McMillan added eight to 10 pounds of muscle, looking bigger and faster than the player who already torched defenses as a rookie.
“This is just what I played at in college, so I just feel a lot more comfortable at the weight I’m at right now,” McMillan explained. “I feel a lot bigger, stronger, and faster. And I’m moving well right now. The added weight was good, for sure.”
That added size would make him a more natural fit for slot work, where he can use his frame to win against smaller defenders while maintaining the speed to separate underneath. And that’s where the Panthers have a plan in the making.
Panthers plan to shift McMillan into a more ‘power slot’ role in 2026
Power slot is becoming the new norm for alpha wide receivers in the league and it’s something the Panthers are planning to lean into more with McMillan. But, the versatility is the key piece here. Carolina doesn’t plan to fully remove McMillan from his traditional X receiver role on the outside. Instead, the Panthers want to move him in and out of alignments, scheming up favorable matchups and getting him into space where he can be a more friendly target for quarterback Bryce Young.
When McMillan lined up exclusively on the outside last season, defenses could bracket him with double teams. So, after a few weeks, the staff started experimenting with moving him inside. McMillan ended up playing 152 snaps in the slot and 832 snaps on the outside, a number NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported could double, if not more.
When lined up in the slot, McMillan had 583 yards and five touchdowns with 15.3 yards per reception and a 0.52 EPA per target, which ranked sixth in the NFL among players with 50+ targets while lined up in the slot. Clearly, the Panthers took notice of that alignment success, but you still need to have capable players on the outside if you move him inside.
That’s where Chris Brazzell II comes into play for McMillan and the Panthers’ offense
The real catalyst behind this positional shift for McMillan is rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II. The speed and size Brazzell brings to the outside gives Carolina a legitimate field stretcher, something the offense lacked when McMillan was forced to be the primary perimeter threat last season.
With Brazzell pushing safeties back and opening up the middle of the field, McMillan working out of the slot suddenly becomes a much more dangerous proposition. Defenses can’t cheat toward focusing on McMillan when a burner like Brazzell is threatening to take the top off the coverage on the outside. That creates larger windows and softer zones for McMillan to exploit inside.
“Chris Brazzell gives us the opportunity to move him inside a little bit more. We can pop T-Mac inside, put Chris at the single,” Panthers coach Dave Canales explained on Friday. “When you have somebody that tall and fast, sitting on the single side with the one-on-one matchup—that gives an advantage. Maybe the defense tilts that way a little bit, it creates a little bit of space inside.”
This plan for McMillan makes sense on paper, now we wait to see what it actually looks like on the field
The Panthers also have Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette as complementary pieces to work with in the passing game. That group gives Carolina legitimate versatility across the receiver room, allowing the coaching staff to mix and match formations without tipping their hand on where McMillan will line up on any given snap.
“Whatever chances I have to get the opportunity to get the ball, I’m all for it,” McMillan said. “Looking forward to it.”
The Panthers are hoping all of these factors — the added muscle, the positional flexibility, the improved weapons around him — combine to push McMillan beyond the production he delivered as a rookie.
Carolina clearly believes there’s more to unlock with their promising weapon. If the slot experiment works as planned, McMillan has the chance to be one of the most impactful second-year receivers in the NFL and avoid the sophomore slump heading into 2026.