Xavier Legette is taking some heat right now. The Carolina Panthers wide receiver is lacking in confidence, despite most anticipating a breakout campaign in 2025. There's a long way to go, but a considerable effort is needed to turn the tide.
The jury is still out on Legette; make no mistake about that. However, head coach Dave Canales hasn't lost faith in the wideout by any stretch of the imagination.
Legette gained -2 receiving yards from one successful reception against the Arizona Cardinals. Some of his eight targets were uncatchable, but someone of his draft standing should have brought in more. He also failed to display the necessary on-field vision and explosiveness on a jet sweep for no gain.
Carolina Panthers haven't lost faith in Xavier Legette despite rocky start
This disappointing start isn't ideal. Tetairoa McMillan, Hunter Renfrow, and even Brycen Tremayne were all far more productive. But even in the face of mounting concerns, Canales has complete faith in the South Carolina product to turn the tide.
"I believe in him. I believe that he's approached this the right way and just continues to work. So I'm going to continue to encourage him and be in his corner and push him to keep striving for that, and keep working on his chemistry with Bryce, because he's got the talent. I think at times he can be hard on himself, and he can be really critical of himself, and I wanted to make sure that he knows he's supported, that we've got to play ball, let's go. And there's that balance of pushing him, and there's that balance of also saying, you got this, remember who you are."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
Legette needs to get out of his own head. As Canales stated, he takes his failures to heart, which can be a gift or a curse. It's brought some extra hesitancy to his game. The fact that he was struggling to find out where to line up correctly when the Panthers went up-tempo in Week 2 only added to the frustration.
Canales isn't shy to take young players out of the firing line if he feels like it can benefit their long-term outlook. The Panthers aren't blessed with great depth at the receiver position. Adam Thielen was traded, and Jalen Coker is on injured reserve. That should ensure Legette continues to receive targets, but the need to raise consistency levels cannot be overstated.
It's time for Legette to put up or shut up. And if things don't start trending positively soon, this is not going to have a happy ending.