4 Carolina Panthers players looking for bounce-back Week 2 performances in NFL preseason

Tonight, the Carolina Panthers will take on the Houston Texans in their second preseason game. It is going to be the final outing for the starters, like Bryce Young, Chuba Hubbard, Mike Jackson, Tre'von Moehrig, and others.

They will likely play three series this time, but they don't have much more time this preseason to get valuable reps. Here are four who really need to do better than they did against the Cleveland Browns.

Xavier Legette

Xavier Legette has not looked all that great in training camp. He, first and foremost, needs to stay on the field this time. He got ejected almost immediately against the Browns, so we couldn't see what he is capable of this year. Step one is to stay on the field, but step two is to show noticeable progress from last year. It's crucial, since this might be his final preseason outing.

DJ Wonnum

DJ Wonnum was one of the worst-graded members (PFF) of the entire Panthers roster, but especially the defense. He is probably clinging to a starting spot by a thread, which means he has to play better. Nic Scourton, on the other hand, played very well, and Princely Umanmielen is also waiting in the wings. Wonnum has to fend off three other edge rushers, so if he wants to start, he has to do better against the Texans.

Tetairoa McMillan

Tetairoa McMillan flashed some really nice things in his preseason debut, with two catches for 43 yards. However, drops plagued him, which is concerning. He should have had four catches and a touchdown, but he dropped a perfect ball from Bryce Young and another good throw from Andy Dalton. He needs to clean that up, which he probably will, but now's the time to showcase that.

Trevor Etienne

Trevor Etienne is probably not in danger of being cut. He's also probably not going to usurp Rico Dowdle as Chuba Hubbard's backup. But if he wants to play more in the regular season, he's got to carve out a role for himself. To do that, he has to do better than losing a fumble and recording less than 10 rushing yards. That can't happen again, because two awful outings in a row would likely bury him on the depth chart.

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