Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan Confirms Struggles at Training Camp as Dave Canales Reveals Plan for Bryce Young

Heading into 2025, if there’s one thing the Panthers have to be feeling decent about, it’s their receiving corps. Last year’s passing game? Well, it wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. But this time around, there’s some real potential. They added Hunter Renfrow to work the slot, Adam Thielen’s still doing the savvy vet thing, and the second-year duo of Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker should take a step forward.

Still, one name keeps turning heads—rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan. NFL reporter Jordan Schultz put it plainly, addressing the praise he’s been receiving from within the organization. “He’s (McMillan) been even better than advertised — smooth, explosive, and already gaining trust from the QBs,” a close source from the Panthers told Schultz. “You can’t take your eyes off him at practice because he’s making so many big plays.”

Sounds good? Not so soon. Because it’s not all touchdown and glitter for the young wideout at the training camp. Recently, McMillan spoke to the media and revealed the initial struggles that he faced at camp. “Sometimes the ball finds you, sometimes the ball doesn’t,” the rookie said. “But that day just happened to be a good day for me. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’ll be the first to tell you. The first couple days, I struggled a little bit.” However, McMillan didn’t back down due to his initial struggles.

In fact, the 22-year-old learned how the defense pushed him to work harder. And this is precisely why McMillan appreciated his defensive backs. “That’s hats off to the DB corps, just making me better, every single day. It was just one of those days where I was just on point that day, and hopefully we can continue stacking those days.” Given where the Panthers took him in the draft, there’s no question that McMillan’s walking into this season with some serious expectations on his shoulders.

And honestly? The team’s banking on him just as much. “He’s had some pretty bad plays throughout camp, and he’s had some excellent plays,” the Panthers’ head coach, Dave Canales, said while addressing the rookie’s assessment so far. “When you have a guy, he’s teaching me stuff about him that I don’t know, just looking at his character. When guys bounce back quickly, it speaks to their confidence.”

The wideout struggled initially, sure. But with time, he progressed and synced with his quarterback, Bryce Young. During Wednesday’s (July 30) practice, Young and McMillan connected for some spectacular catches, as reported by ESPN. The highlight of the day? A deep-ball touchdown drive that began with a diving, over-the-shoulder catch from McMillan. Coach Canales called it McMillan’s “best day at camp.”

All things considered, Tetairoa McMillan might just be one of the biggest reasons Panthers fans are heading into 2025 with a little extra swagger. Meanwhile, to spice things up, the head coach recently opened up about his plans to utilize his starters right from the preseason, especially Young and McMillan.

Dave Canales won’t repeat last season’s mistake

Last season, the head coach, Dave Canales, was heavily criticized. Not for his mediocre 5-12 record in his first year as the HC of the Panthers. No. It started in the preseason. Canales gave most of his starters just one series of preseason action at best, with many not seeing the field at all across the first two preseason games. The decision was heavily criticized when the Saints thrashed the Carolina team in the season opener with 47-10.

But this year feels different, hopefully. The head coach recently sat down with Kay Adams of Up & Adams Show, where he revealed his plans for Bryce Young and the first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan. When Adams asked if we’ll see the Panthers’ starters during the preseason, Canales responded honestly. “Absolutely,” he replied. “My plan is to play a series or two with the starters for the first two preseason games. So, I’m excited to get them out there.”

But for the head coach, it’s not just about the actual game time. Canales explained that the entire game-day process is important. “It goes beyond just the reps in the game. It’s the night before, it’s the morning of, it’s what you eat, it’s how you mentally prepare, it’s going through your process of body readiness going into the game…

“So, I’m excited to kinda throw that at the guys—especially some of the younger players, the rookies and all that. But certainly our starters, just playing together and feeling what that feels like to prep from the night before all the way going up to it.” Last year, the Panthers opened their preseason by sitting out 33 players right off the bat against New England.

But judging by how things are shaping up, Canales isn’t planning to run that same playbook this time around. And let’s just say, we’ll be able to see how well Bryce Young—who’s entering the third season of his career—will connect with Tetairoa McMillan right from the preseason.