The Carolina Panthers don't have anything close to a winning record from their 2024 efforts so far. However, there is more optimism within the franchise than most struggling teams around the league.
Fans are realists. They've seen more hardship than most. They know any positives that can be generated following their 1-7 start would be a bonus. Racking up two straight victories and having their young players coming to the fore is something for Carolina's long-suffering support to be optimistic about.
Dave Canales remains confident his methods can get this perennial struggler back to respectability and potentially beyond in the coming years. It's not been easy for the first-year head coach, but the Panthers are starting to show signs of life under his leadership.
Things might get worse before they get better. There's also a chance Carolina can build on some newfound momentum and leave the campaign with more positives than negatives.
They'll need a collective effort to achieve these objectives. With this in mind, here are five Panthers players who could enter superstar status after the bye week, starting with wide receiver Xavier Legette.
Carolina Panthers players set for post-bye week superstardom in 2024
Xavier Legette - Carolina Panthers WR
Those in power were convinced Xavier Legette had the talent and inner drive to make a success of his NFL career. The Carolina Panthers acted accordingly, trading up one spot to secure his services at No. 32 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, giving them the luxury of his fifth-year option if they need it for good measure.
Legette is not the finished article by any means. There remains some polishing to do as a route runner and his inability to generate yards after the catch is concerning. At the same time, his threat in the red zone and versatility are traits the Panthers can fit into their game plan seamlessly under head coach Dave Canales.
The Panthers traded the wide receiver duo of Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo before the deadline. This was a supreme vote of confidence in the young pass-catchers and dependable veteran Adam Thielen. It's also a chance for Legette to fully impose himself as a legitimate threat with WR1 potential.
That's a bold yet attainable objective for Legette over the next seven games. Giving him a heftier workload will be a solid measuring stick to see how far he's come as a rookie and how much work remains.