Not many of the Carolina Panthers players who turned out in their preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium covered themselves in glory. And it came as no surprise to see head coach Dave Canales single out wide receiver Xavier Legette for criticism.
Legette, who's looking to silence some increasingly doubters after a rollercoaster rookie campaign, saw his chances of making an impression evaporate after exchanging punches with Browns cornerback Rayshawn Mitchell. The wideout apologized to fans on social media following his fiery ejection, but the incident irked Canales enough to take his thoughts public.
Dave Canales issues stark warning to Carolina Panthers players after Xavier Legette ejection
Although Canales acknowledged that it's a physical game and things can boil over on occasion, he expects more discipline from his squad. And the warning issued to Legette was crystal clear.
"We ask our receivers to finish the play with hands on. He had his hands on the guy the whole time through the echo of the whistle. The guy swung and chopped his arms down, and Xavier just kind of held on to his jersey. Then they started exchanging punches. You can't do that, neither side, both guys got ejected, rightly so. We can't have that as a part of our game. It's a physical game; can't handle that, tempers are going to get hot, but as soon as you throw a punch, all of a sudden we're at a disadvantage. So we want to see better from X for sure."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
Legette's ejection was disappointing. However, it gave others more chances to stake their respective claims. And perhaps predictably, it was former undrafted free agent Jalen Coker who shone in his teammate's absence.
Coker outperformed Legette last season. The Holy Cross product looks more than capable of doing the same again based on this showing, so the gauntlet has been laid down to the No. 32 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft in no uncertain terms.
This isn't the South Carolina Gamecocks anymore. Legette is in a professional environment. He's in a culture that is looking to improve, so becoming a weak link or a liability has huge ramifications attached. Canales is all about teaching moments, and the second-year pro should hear this message loud and clear.
It's a fine margin between success and failure for the Panthers in 2025. Legette needs to keep better control of his emotions, especially now that teams will be aware of how to get under his skin.
Anything less comes with potentially grave consequences attached.