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The "Cali-to-Cali Connection" seems to be thriving into its second season.
Monday's outing of Carolina Panthers training camp starred wideout Tetairoa McMillan, who made a couple of eye-opening one-handed grabs during practice. One of those one-handers came on the final play of the morning, and highlighted the growing chemistry between the second-year receiver and quarterback Bryce Young.
Head coach Dave Canales was asked about the development of the duo afterwards.
"It's just about time on task, it's about opportunities," Canales replied. "And I really love that Bryce has been giving him opportunities down the field. Just really trying to stretch it—some of the vertical concepts that we have.
"T-Mac does a great job of holding the defender off, playing it at the high point. He feels strong, he looks great. So I love seeing those plays. Those are game-changing plays."
McMillan, last year's eighth overall draft pick, looked pretty strong in his rookie campaign—where he reeled in 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven scores. His efforts helped him become the first Panther to capture AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors since quarterback Cam Newton, who did it back in 2011.
The 6-foot-5 pass catcher may be even stronger in 2026. McMillan told reporters back in June that he put on about 17 pounds of muscle during the offseason, which could help improve on the 57.4-percent catch rate he amassed in 2025.
Canales also praised the other side of that connection.
"Yeah, I'm just really excited. The special plays still show up every day," he stated of Young. "Moving off the spot, pushing up in the pocket, layering balls, all the accuracy.
"The part that I've really been impressed with this camp is just the chemistry with our receivers, time on task with Jalen Coker, T-Mac, Xavier Legette, JT [Ja'Tavion] Sanders and the tight end group that have been around for a while.
"And now, it just seems like he's playing so much faster. It seems he's eliminating things before the snap. On his drop, he's starting to eliminate and evaluate things and throwing really anticipatory throws."
Young is entering his fourth NFL campaign fresh off career-highs in completion rate (63.6 percent), passing yards (3,011) and passing touchdowns (23). He, and McMillan, helped push the Panthers to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first NFC South title since 2015.
2026 might prove to be a rather important year for both Young and McMillan—with the former angling for a big-money contract extension and the latter hoping to stave off a potential sophomore slump.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' most critical offensive connection looking faster, stronger heading into 2026
Continue reading...
Monday's outing of Carolina Panthers training camp starred wideout Tetairoa McMillan, who made a couple of eye-opening one-handed grabs during practice. One of those one-handers came on the final play of the morning, and highlighted the growing chemistry between the second-year receiver and quarterback Bryce Young.
Head coach Dave Canales was asked about the development of the duo afterwards.
"It's just about time on task, it's about opportunities," Canales replied. "And I really love that Bryce has been giving him opportunities down the field. Just really trying to stretch it—some of the vertical concepts that we have.
"T-Mac does a great job of holding the defender off, playing it at the high point. He feels strong, he looks great. So I love seeing those plays. Those are game-changing plays."
McMillan, last year's eighth overall draft pick, looked pretty strong in his rookie campaign—where he reeled in 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven scores. His efforts helped him become the first Panther to capture AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors since quarterback Cam Newton, who did it back in 2011.
The 6-foot-5 pass catcher may be even stronger in 2026. McMillan told reporters back in June that he put on about 17 pounds of muscle during the offseason, which could help improve on the 57.4-percent catch rate he amassed in 2025.
Canales also praised the other side of that connection.
"Yeah, I'm just really excited. The special plays still show up every day," he stated of Young. "Moving off the spot, pushing up in the pocket, layering balls, all the accuracy.
"The part that I've really been impressed with this camp is just the chemistry with our receivers, time on task with Jalen Coker, T-Mac, Xavier Legette, JT [Ja'Tavion] Sanders and the tight end group that have been around for a while.
"And now, it just seems like he's playing so much faster. It seems he's eliminating things before the snap. On his drop, he's starting to eliminate and evaluate things and throwing really anticipatory throws."
Young is entering his fourth NFL campaign fresh off career-highs in completion rate (63.6 percent), passing yards (3,011) and passing touchdowns (23). He, and McMillan, helped push the Panthers to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first NFC South title since 2015.
2026 might prove to be a rather important year for both Young and McMillan—with the former angling for a big-money contract extension and the latter hoping to stave off a potential sophomore slump.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' most critical offensive connection looking faster, stronger heading into 2026
Continue reading...
