Insider suggests Xavier Legette should be in danger of being replaced by Panthers

There are several disappointing things about the Carolina Panthers' 0-2 start to the 2025 campaign, and wide receiver Xavier Legette is no doubt one of them.

Drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Legette was very disappointing in his rookie campaign, finishing with just 49 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns.

Adding to his lackluster production, Legette had an abysmal catch rate of just 58.3% and had seven drops in total.

There was hope that Legette would turn things around in his second season, but that has not come to fruition thus far.

Legette has been peppered with targets but has caught just four of the 15 thrown his way for eight yards and is coming off a game that saw him finish with one catch for -2 yards. He has also seen his catch rate more than cut in half from last season.

ESPN's David Newton believes Legette's slow start is the biggest early surprise of the Panthers' 2025 season and thinks there is reason to believe it will continue. In fact, Newton says Legette is "in danger of being replaced."

"The 32nd pick of the 2024 draft had one catch for minus-2 yards Sunday and through two games has four catches on 15 targets for 8 yards," Newton wrote. "Coach Dave Canales says he still believes in Legette, but is there reason to? Legette had only a 58.3% catch rate last year and worked hard during the offseason to improve that. Instead, he has gone backward and is at 26.7%. He should be in danger of being replaced."

Canales has expressed confidence that Legette will bounce back, but Legette's leash figures to be shortening by the week. After all, how much longer can the Panthers afford to keep giving him significant snaps when they're not getting anything out of it?

That said, the Panthers really don't have much of a choice but to keep running him out there for now.

Jalen Coker is still on injured reserve and the team hasn't shown any semblance of confidence in their other wideouts not named Tetairoa McMillan or Hunter Renfrow, including sixth-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr.

On top of all that, the Panthers have a lot invested in their former first-round pick and can't give up on him this quickly.

Legette will likely get ample time to straighten things out, but there is no question his future with the Panthers and in the NFL is in serious doubt.

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