The Carolina Panthers nearly did the impossible in their narrow 27-22 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. They were down 27-9 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter before a manic comeback fell short. However, the offense put them in such a deep hole that it was impossible to come out of.
Bryce Young and the unit as a whole may have solid box score stats due to their late push, but they were inept for most of the first three quarters. These struggles are upping the pressure on Young, but wide receiver Xavier Legette has also made a fool of himself with a truly terrible game.
Legette has fewer receiving yards than you and me in this game. He caught one pass for -2 yards. To make matters worse, Young and Dave Canales kept trying to get him the ball, as evidenced by his eight targets.
Carolina Panthers WR Xavier Legette makes NFL history with terrible Week 2 game
The 2024 first-round pick became the first wide receiver in NFL history to have negative receiving yards on at least eight targets, as the only other player to match this dubious feat was former Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles. Legette's status as a cornerstone of this offense is starting to flake away.
Not only has Legette been leapfrogged by top-10 pick Tetairoa McMillan, who picked up the first of what will likely be many 100-yard games against Arizona, on the depth chart, but tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and aging slot receiver Hunter Renfrow seem to be more reliable targets for Young.
Legette has all the physical tools needed to be a tremendous wide receiver in this league. But the combination of his poor hands, failure to consistently create separation, and his inability to win as a route-runner outside of vertical balls makes him a limited player who is already starting to hit his ceiling.
Having invested a first-round pick in Legette, expect the Panthers to ride him until the wheels fall off. In a year where they aren't expected to make it to the postseason, watching the South Carolina product emerge alongside McMillan could be a very encouraging sign for the future.
Instead, the Panthers are now in a position where Legette might start losing out on precious snaps unless he gets his act together in relatively short order. Even this early in his career, he can't afford too many more games like this one.