Bryce Young reveals what's different in Jonathan Mingo entering 2024 season
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are looking to explode onto the scene in 2024, following a disastrous campaign last season.
To say the quarterback’s rookie season didn’t go as planned would be putting it lightly. Now, the Panthers have started fresh, bringing in Dave Canales to help cultivate a winning culture, along with getting the most out of Young and the rest of the Panthers offense.
One of Carolina’s young players, aside from Young, who seems like they’ll benefit is sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. He’ll be relied upon to help rebuild the team’s offense, and Young spoke glowingly about the pass catcher earlier this week.
“I think just him having more confidence in what he’s doing,” Young said, speaking with reporters regarding the sophomore wide receiver. “He was very confident last year, and someone who you could tell is sure, but just, when you have that experience, you know, that extra year, you can go out, you can see him playing more freely. Even though it’s a new system, you never think about how he understands the system. He’s running routes really free. Doing a great job, on and off coverage. Having a plan with stuff. He’s made some really, big time catches, so I think just embracing where he is, embracing his position.
“I was there last year, obviously, you know, and it’s something new. Sometimes you can be more trying to survive than strive, but I think you can tell he’s very calm, very confident in what he’s doing, and I’m excited for him this year.”
Last season, Mingo caught 43 passes for 418 receiving yards, but he’s still yet to score a touchdown at the NFL level. With some added responsibility due to the Panthers’ options at wide receiver, those numbers should improve, and Mingo will likely be able to find the end zone in 2024.
When Mingo was playing his college football with Ole Miss, spending four years in Oxford, Miss., with the Rebels, he had his best season as a senior, when he caught 51 passes for 861 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He earned a spot on the All-SEC second team for his performance.
That’s the type of numbers Bryce Young and the Panthers will be expecting from the wide receiver in 2024. We’ll see if Jonathan Mingo can deliver in Carolina, with the added pressure of being a focal point this season.