ESPN believes Carolina Panthers WR Xavier Legette is in jeopardy of a major role reduction next season.
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak believes Carolina Panthers WR Xavier Legette is in jeopardy of a major role reduction next season.
Here is why.
"Legette was a late college breakout drafted largely for his size/speed profile," Solak wrote. "At first it looked like the Panthers' receivers room would have plenty of space for his development -- Legette was the Panthers' leading target-getter as a rookie. But the emergence of undrafted free agent Jalen Coker and subsequent drafting of 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan pushed Legette down to No. 3 on the depth chart ... and now Chris Brazzell II has entered the building.
"The Panthers made the Tennessee wideout the 83rd pick last month in large part because of his own size/speed profile. Brazzell is 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, and he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He is a raw route runner from a system that translates poorly to the NFL, so it's unlikely he immediately excels at the next level. That gives Legette time to entrench himself as a more reliable option. But if he continues to lose targets, the Panthers will consider promoting Brazzell to that rarely targeted field-stretching role."
Legette appeared in 15 games for the Panthers last season. He finished with 35 receptions for 363 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
The Panthers selected Legette with the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The WR had 49 catches during his rookie season, totaling 497 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
During an interview with Joseph Person of The Athletic, Panthers head coach Dave Canales revealed details about Legette's offseason training.
According to Canales, Legette is going hard this offseason, which is great news for Carolina.
"Just working his butt off," Canales said. "He’s around the facility. While we can’t talk about football stuff and do meetings, he’s there. He’s grinding, he’s working. He understands what an opportunity he has. And he understands why we brought him here, to be that big, dynamic playmaker that we know he can be.
"While I know he may not have had the year he wanted to, he came through for us in some critical games. The Miami game, to battle back (from) 17-0, his big touchdown catch really sparked the comeback. The critical first down he got for us in the Jets game. Andy (Dalton) threw the ball up there, one-on-one matchup. Catches, goes down, and we’re taking knees to end the game. He’s a come-through guy that we love and we trust. I just want him to do it all the time so he can realize the highest of his potential. He wants that. We want that for him, too, and I’m excited to see what he does this year."
It will be fascinating to see how Legette performs next season. He's certainty under pressure to play well.
Panthers Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Panthers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.