It's been hard to ignore the criticism coming Xavier Legette's way this week. Everyone's had an opinion on the Carolina Panthers' struggles to begin the campaign, and the wide receiver is quickly becoming an early scapegoat with bigger expectations on his shoulders.
Legette's form has been poor. One could point to the number of uncatchable balls thrown in his direction, but the first-round pick should be doing more. The ongoing speculation regarding his lack of commitment to the cause only raised his resolve.
If that wasn't enough, Legette's also dealing with a hamstring issue. This limited his practice participation throughout the week, which does nothing to heighten optimism before a crucial Week 3 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
Carolina Panthers face a tricky decision with wide receiver Xavier Legette in Week 3
Dave Canales revealed that Legette is itching to play in Carolina's home opener. However, the head coach is going to take everything into account before making a final decision.
"He did take some reps. He's bugging me to play, you know, he's like, 'Coach, I'm good, coach, I'm good,' and so we just have to be really sure that we test this thing and move him around so we feel confident that he can be out there and be himself. It's really for me, it's really about football. It's about his ability to play to his full speed, to be able to react to things and not to have other things on his mind, as far as just like dealing with the hamstring and how that might affect him, and just the whole group. So for me it's always going to be a football decision."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
If the Panthers need to save Legette from himself, so be it. Putting him back out there when he isn't at 100 percent isn't smart, especially with his confidence waning after a lackluster start to the campaign.
The Panthers are light on dependable wide receiver options. Tetairoa McMillan, Hunter Renfrow, and Brycen Tremayne would probably be the starting trio if Legette isn't risked. David Moore is also around, and Carolina could also activate sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. after he was a healthy scratch over the first two games.
Legette will be pushing to play. He's a competitive guy, eager to put this bad start behind him en route to brighter fortunes. At the same time, putting the former South Carolina prospect on the field when he isn't moving with his typical fluidity represents a recipe for disaster.
It'll be interesting to see what Canales decides. And it could legitimately go either way right now.