Xavier Legette made awful NFL history in Panthers' loss to Cardinals

Xavier Legette had a really bad Week 1, and he somehow got worse in Week 2. The second-year Carolina Panthers player has done virtually nothing at all, but it's not for lack of targets. He has 18 targets through two games, second-most on the team.

Eight of those came on Sunday, which was a heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and Legette actually made NFL history with how bad he was. On those eight targets, he managed just one catch, which is pretty abysmal in and of itself. He's managed to haul in four of his 19 targets.

Panthers WR Xavier Legette will end the game with -2 receiving yards on eight targets, which is only the second game in NFL history with negative yards on at least eight targets

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles had -6 yards on eight targets in 2013.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 14, 2025

He became the first NFL wide receiver to record negative yardage with at least eight targets. He is only the second player in NFL history to do that, with Jamaal Charles -6 yards to Legette's -2, but Charles was a running back.

A lot of his targets came in the backfield, so it's not all that insane that he didn't get positive yardage. It is insane for Legette to not even come down with anything except a screen pass and literally go backwards.

It's not for lack of trying, clearly. Dave Canales seems to want to get Legette going even though pretty much every other pass-catcher is more reliable, which is saying a lot. The wide receiver got a jet sweep and a screen pass on back-to-back plays Sunday, and he gained 0 and then -2 yards.

Sep 14, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) reaches for the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

It's starting to look like he's a bust, which is hugely detrimental. The Panthers said they passed on even entering the DK Metcalf sweepstakes because they had someone in Metcalf's mold in Legette. They traded Adam Thielen because they felt the WR corps was solid.

Legette is shaping up to be much more Jonathan Mingo, a total bust, than Metcalf. At this point, he should probably be fourth or worse in the pecking order. It would be better to target Tetairoa McMillan, Hunter Renfrow, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and even Chuba Hubbard before looking at Legette.

When Jalen Coker is back after a brief IR stint, that should only get worse until Legette starts to even somewhat resemble an NFL-level wide receiver.

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