Carolina Panthers’ Adam Thielen is set to return to action against Kansas City Chiefs

The Carolina Panthers are getting one of their best offensive playmakers back at the right time.

The team announced Tuesday afternoon that Adam Thielen, the veteran wideout fresh off a 1,000-yard season in 2023, has been activated to the 53-man roster after spending the past several weeks on the injured reserve list. Thielen sustained a hamstring injury in the first half of the team’s Week 3 win versus the Raiders — as he extended for a touchdown grab that still ranks among the team’s most explosive plays of the year.

Thielen’s activation, made possible by the waiving of TE Jordan Matthews, paves the way for his return to game action. The Panthers are on bye this week but return to action in Bank of America Stadium against the undefeated goliaths in the Kansas City Chiefs.

His 21-day practice window began just about three weeks ago, and the Panthers needed to promote him to the active roster by this week or they’d lose him for the season, per NFL rules.

Before going down, Thielen, 34, was having a slower year than 2023 but still ranked as the team’s leading receiver. Through 2.5 games, Thielen had eight receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

A bulk of that production came in Week 3, the only half of football when Andy Dalton was throwing him the ball. That said, the veteran wideout has been one of the most vocal supporters of second-year quarterback Bryce Young — who has won his past two starts back-to-back weeks, even if his passing stats haven’t been gaudy. Head coach Dave Canales on Monday did not say if Young will be the starter in Week 12.

It’s safe to say Thielen’s return will have an immediate impact on the offense. A lot of that is because this wide receiver room looks a lot different than it did when Thielen went out.

The Panthers’ two big trades before the NFL trade deadline last week both were wide receivers. General manager Dan Morgan dealt top receiver Diontae Johnson first to the Baltimore Ravens, then followed that up by sending Jonathan Mingo to the Dallas Cowboys. Both those trades yielded capital in the 2025 NFL draft; Johnson yielded a fifth-rounder and Mingo yielded a fourth.

The Chiefs have won 15 consecutive games dating back to 2023 — which includes the Super Bowl win this past February. The Chiefs play the Bills this weekend before facing off with the Panthers on Nov. 24.

In other Panthers transactions news Tuesday: The team cut wide receiver Cam Johnson from the practice squad.