Tetairoa McMillan's tight window acrobatic catches open up passing game

As the Panthers find their groove in the deep passing game, it's McMillan's big catch radius that makes all the difference in tight windows.

Sep 26, 2026 at 04:45 PM

Kassidy Hill

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is seen during a game as the Carolina Panthers take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

CHARLOTTE — The Panthers' passing attack has hummed through two games, now first in the league overall, averaging 312.5 yards per game through the air.

It's thanks to a number of reasons, namely Bryce Young (second in the league with 648 yards passing) distributing the ball well and efficiently between a receiving corps that has heavily featured Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and Darren Waller through two games.

What each guy brings is unique and can't be overstated. But McMillan's body control on the sideline has already proven to be a game-changer, maybe even a game-wrecker for opposing defenses.

"As a big guy, he's phenomenal that way," bragged offensive coordinator Brad Idzik of his rookie of the year and his highlight-worthy sideline catches.

"I've been around a couple of guys that do a really good job of it. You think of Mike Evans. Some of the guys that we had in Seattle in the past. But, really, for him and Jalen, they've already made a couple of acrobatic catches early in this season."

Wide receiver Jalen Coker is seen during Carolina Panthers season opener against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sep. 13, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

They have, including Coker's in the red zone on the first drive of the Week 1 game against the Bears, and not one but two contortionist catches from McMillan in the win over Atlanta that seemed like dangerous throws until they weren't because Young and his big-bodied receivers have spent hours narrowing in on the centimeters available to them in those situations.

A big catch radius often refers to the ability to high-point a ball or go get one away from a defender. But the catch radius of these receivers coupled with their large frames — a unique trait for the majority of a corps to have, as even Canales pointed out on Monday — creates windows that feel un-defendable at times. McMillan, for reference, has faced tight windows on 22.2 percent of his targets through two games.

"They all have huge catch radius, so it just makes it a lot more friendly for Bryce, especially when you're pushing the ball down the field a little bit," explained Idzik. "You feel comfortable about, OK, what might be a 50/50 ball for a smaller athlete, these guys that have great body control and have size to kind of hold off the DB and to hold space on the sideline becomes a 60/40 or a 70/30 ball."

McMillan's 28-yard reception in the third quarter of the Week 2 game in Atlanta comes to mind. By the time the ball was in his radius, he was essentially backpedaling with a defensive back draped over his front. But TMac made the catch, then had the wherewithal to pull off what amounted to an élevé to keep his toes in bounds.

"TMac, he's a volleyball player, so he can contort his body to go slam the ball down over the net," Idzik reminded everyone. "You watch some of those highlights that he had at Arizona and some of his high school highlights, and he's always had that in him.

"Growing up a little bit of a slender, long athlete, he had body control, and then he definitely grew into his body, having a big frame now, but he never lost that control. It's really fun to watch. He does a really good job of it."

McMillan, for his part, doesn't put too much thought into it now, but does credit that background for feeding into what is now instinct.

"It's a lot of things," shrugged McMillan this week. "Obviously just being able to play different sports growing up to it'sjust kind of being second nature now, it's kind of just, instinct and just awareness of the game."

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is seen during

That awareness, coupled with a quarterback who is fine-tuning every detail right now, creates an offense that can pick its spots on the field.

"They work it all the time," said Idzik. "We work some of those special throws, and Bryce has done a great job so far this season, taking those guys and saying, 'Hey, if he plays on top, this is where I'm going to place it. Hey, if he plays in the low hip, this is where I'm going to place it.'

"So that part catches the DB off guard, and you don't sit there waiting for a back shoulder or a contortion throw. You're just running, and you're reacting to the catch, and our guys do a phenomenal job of doing that and holding their eyes as long as possible so the DB is a little bit slow in their reaction as well."

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Quarterback Bryce Young is seen during Carolina Panthers practice on Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.