CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bryce Young typically smiles a lot during press conferences, but his smile grew bigger than normal when the Carolina Panthers ' quarterback was asked about the addition of Diontae Johnson to his receiving corps.
"Diontae is very special in how he moves, how he creates separation, how he runs routes,'' the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft said. "How much he cares about the details, how much he cares about the little things, the amount of accountability he's had ... it's been super encouraging.''
Such traits would make any quarterback smile, particularly one coming off a historically bad rookie season, during which his receivers struggled to create separation and ranked last in the NFL in yards per reception (10.3).
But Young smiles when talking about his receivers in general these days. Nothing against last year's group -- several are on track to play important roles in 2024 -- but Young doesn't talk about 2023 because he understands the statistics were skewed by a lot of things, including poor protection, a scheme that didn't fit their talent, and his own inexperience and mistakes.
He threw 11 touchdowns, tying for the fewest in NFL history for a quarterback -- not just a rookie -- with at least 500 pass attempts.
But the addition of Johnson and first-round pick Xavier Legette to pair with veteran Adam Thielen and 2023 second-rounder Jonathan Mingo have created a buzz similar to those seen with other quarterbacks who got upgrades in their second season.
Josh Allen was 5-6 as a rookie for the Buffalo Bills in 2018 with only 10 touchdown passes when Zay Jones was his top receiver. He jumped to 10-6 with 20 touchdowns the next season when John Brown and Cole Beasley were added. He was 13-3 and had 37 touchdown passes in 2020 when paired with Stefon Diggs .
Joe Burrow was 2-7-1 as a rookie for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 with 13 touchdown passes with Tyler Boyd as his top receiver. He went 10-6 in his second season and threw 34 touchdown passes after LSU receiver Ja'Marr Chase was drafted No. 5 overall.
Trevor Lawrence was 3-14 as a rookie for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 with 12 touchdown passes with aging Marvin Jones Jr. as his top target. He went 9-8 with 25 touchdown passes the next season after veteran Christian Kirk was added.
The Panthers are banking on Johnson, and a rebuilt offensive line, to help Young make a similar jump in new coach Dave Canales' system that builds around a featured player.
"[Johnson] brings a lot of swag to the room, a lot of stuff from a release standpoint, a route-craft standpoint,'' said wide receiver David Moore , who was with Canales in Seattle (2017-20) and Tampa Bay (2023). "Watching him and learning from him, a lot of people can benefit from him.''
Wide receivers coach Rob Moore agreed.
"He brings a skill set that's different from what some of the other guys have,'' he said. "He's got a unique ability to separate. He's an elite route runner.
"What it does is gives you a guy on the field that commands the attention of defenses.''
The Panthers didn't have that last season. Thielen, now 33, had an impressive 103 catches, but teams didn't necessarily design defenses to stop him because there were no other threats. The next closest receiver was Mingo with 43 receptions.
According to ESPN's receiver tracking metrics, Carolina ranked 25th with a score of 42 on a scale of 0-100 with 50 being average. Individually, Johnson ranked sixth overall with a score of 79.
So trading cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Johnson and a seventh-rounder automatically gave general manager Dan Morgan the upgrade he sought.
Trading into the first round to get Legette, who is currently dealing with a foot injury, was another.
The bonus has been the progress of Mingo. He has looked so good that he was working with Johnson and Thielen on the first team, even before Legette's injury.
Terrace Marshall Jr ., a second-round pick in 2021, also is practicing at a higher level a year after asking for a trade.
"Just more aggressive, more confident, more everything,'' Marshall said of his improvement.
The entire receiving room is feeding off of Johnson. He sets the tone the way Mike Evans did for Canales with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and DK Metcalf did with the Seattle Seahawks .
"I'm just trying to help the offense, put points on the board, move the chains,'' said Johnson, who was traded in part because he is heading into the final year of his contract.
The difference is size -- Evans is 6-foot-6, Metcalf 6-4 and Johnson is 5-10.
"Dave likes the big receiver,'' Moore said.
But Johnson plays big.
"If you single him up you better have some double-teams on the backside.'' Moore said. "That's why Dave loves him. We've always got something guaranteed back there. One-on-one battles with him, it's just over with.''
Canales calls Johnson a "special mover.'' His hope is the 2019 third-round pick will move Young and the offense to the next level, the way others have in the past.
According to Elias, seven teams since the 1970 merger went from last in the NFL in passing yards per game (as the Panthers were last season) to 13th or better in one year.
Thielen experienced a similar surge with the Minnesota Vikings when they added pieces like Diggs and later Justin Jefferson . He sees that potential with Johnson.
"There's a lot of easy answers when you get those one-on-one opportunities without having to do much as a quarterback,'' he said. "It just allows it to happen naturally.''
If that happens, Young's smiles will come more naturally.
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