CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bryce Young no longer needs his security blanket.
In trading 35-year-old wide receiver Adam Thielen to his home state Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers not only showed confidence in the remaining receivers on their roster but also in the growth of their third-year quarterback.
Thielen was Young's most dependable receiver the past two seasons. He caught 139 of his 315 completions (44.1%) for 1,414 of 5,280 yards (26.7%).
But it made sense to move on from the veteran because of Young's leadership and development in coach Dave Canales' offense during the second half of 2024 and in training camp, as well as the younger receivers the quarterback has at his disposal.
Tight end Tommy Tremble expects Young to succeed without his most reliable receiver.
"People didn't have that belief in him,'' Tremble said of Young, the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, who went 2-14 his rookie year and was benched after an 0-2 start last season. "It's fun just seeing him play balls to the wall, make plays every day, talk smack and do his thing.
"It's amazing to see him play free.''
Trading Thielen made sense on several fronts beyond Young, who said "I couldn't ask for a better receiver to come into the league with.''
That starts with the receiving corps, led by 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, 22, and 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette, 24.
Young and McMillan have had chemistry from the get-go. After a pre-draft throwing session, Young "stood on the table'' to make a case to the front office that they should use the No. 8 pick on the 6-foot-4 Arizona star.
Legette showed flashes as a rookie but had issues with dropped passes. He spent the offseason working to improve, catching more with his hands than his body.
23-year-old Jalen Coker, an undrafted free agent in 2024, had 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns last season, including seven catches on seven targets for 62 yards in the finale when Thielen was out. Young trusts him.
After that there is David Moore, the veteran of the group at 30. He is a player who not only Young trusts, but Canales. The second-year coach has now worked with him at Seattle, Tampa Bay and Carolina.
Then there's the surprise player, Brycen Tremayne. The 25-year-old out of Stanford is big (6-4), has a strong work ethic and the ability to contribute on special teams. Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik knows him well, as he was a graduate assistant at Stanford when Tremayne arrived there as a walk-on.
Rookie Jimmy Horn Jr., 22, is the true speedster of the group, running a 4.38 40 at the combine. Carolina drafted him in the sixth round out of Colorado, deeming him ready to be an immediate contributor as a receiver and returner after playing for coach Deion Sanders.
"We have a ton of great guys,'' Young said.
Compensation was the only hang-up in the trade. Carolina wanted the equivalent of a fourth-round draft pick in 2026, since the Vikings don't have a pick in that round, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The Panthers ended up getting a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2024 fourth-rounder.
That worked for Carolina, considering Thielen's age, his contract expires after this season, and they are building for the future with young players. The Panthers also don't have to play Thielen the remaining $7 million on his contract.
A wild card in the receiver room could be 2021 Pro Bowl selection Hunter Renfrow, who was released on Tuesday. The former Clemson star was making a comeback after missing last season with ulcerative colitis following his release by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Renfrow exhibits many of the same skills as Thielen in terms of being a technician in route running and creating separation.
He impressed early in training camp, but a hamstring injury slowed his comeback. The Panthers would like to sign him to the practice squad in hopes he can get back to full form, and then possibly elevate him to the 53-man roster.
"We've been in constant communication with Hunter,'' Canales said. "We have a couple of things on the table for him, and we're just going to keep talking. I just want to be able to count on Hunter the whole time. I saw some peaks, and I also saw some dips with his performance.
"In fairness to the whole group, in fairness to the team, I wanted to make sure he knew I want him to be a part of our future. I don't think right now is the time, initially, for this team.''
In the end, the decision to trade Thielen spoke volumes about where Young is.
"I just feel confident about Bryce's leadership,'' Canales said. "I keep coming back to that, but this is Bryce bringing guys together and making different attributes of our players come alive.''
Thielen recognized the promise the former Alabama star brings to the Panthers.
"The way he finished last year,'' he said of Young during the offseason, "His confidence, his mindset, the way he led in the locker room, it's hard not want to be a part of that.''