The Chicago Bears kick off a highly anticipated 2026 season on Sunday, and they are matched up against a team that may have helped catapult them to that realm of anticipation. I am of course referring to the historic trade that netted the Bears Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, and others while giving the Panthers the chance to select Bryce Young in 2023.
This article isn’t meant to rehash the returns on this trade — though it is general consensus the Bears won by a wide margin — but it does
underscore how these two teams are connected. Both have been on steady inclines back to relevance since the fateful trade, and both teams will be looking to return to the playoffs after both teams earned berths in 2025.
A primary piece of the Carolina Panthers rebuild is wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, or T-Mac for short. McMillan was a monster in his rookie campaign, notching just over 1,000 yards and 7 TDs, making him only one of 21 WRs since 2000 to surpass the 1k yard mark.
Many view him as a boundary receiver exclusively, and why wouldn’t they? He is 6’5″ and has the athleticism to go up and snatch anything that comes his way.
However, that discounts his versatility.
T-Mac has already shown the propensity early in his career to play in the slot, as a sort of jumbo possession receiver. In fact, TMac ran 107 routes (20.7%) from the slot last year according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That’s not excessive, but also shows how the Panthers might exploit a clear weakness on the Bears. In fact, on 9/2, Panthers coach Dave Canales suggested that McMillan will work out of the slot more this season, per Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340.
Beyond that, T-Mac caught a whopping 69.7% of passes thrown to him when lining up in the slot. That amounted to 18 catches for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. Again, not massive, but something worth emphasizing given the Bears’ hole at the slot corner position.
While I still expect a heavy dose of McMillan lining up across from Jaylon Johnson or Tyrique Stevenson on the outside, their size could match up a little better with T-Mac on jump balls. Panthers QB Bryce Young ranked 22nd in the league with a 16.4% bad throw percentage, which could leave more room for hawking corners like JJ and Stevenson to come down with an INT.
With the current uncertainty around Kyler Gordon and the presumed start for rookie Malik Muhammad II at nickelback, it’s entirely possible that Young turns to T-Mac in the slot early and often. And while Muhammad has decent size and length (6’-0″ tall with 32 3/8″ arms) he is still slight at 182 lbs, and prone to being bullied by the larger TMac.
Or perhaps the Bears get Cam Lewis some reps at nickel, but Lewis (5’9″, 183) is shorter than Muhammad.
I expect Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to mix up his coverages and bring in the likes of TJ Edwards, Devin Bush, and D’Marco Jackson to support Muhammad when TMac lines up inside. Keeping him contained will be crucial so that the Bears defense can stay on schedule and keep the Panthers behind the chains.
