The Panthers Should Call the Bills for a Rare Wide Receiver Swap

The Carolina Panthers traded with the Buffalo Bills in the 2024 NFL draft, swapping a few picks to essentially flip the Panthers from the 33rd pick to the 32nd, the final one in the first round.

They used that pick to select Xavier Legette, who has so far not remotely panned out. He's bordering on bust territory and continues to slide down the depth chart.

The Bills used their pick on Keon Coleman, who has also not worked out. Coleman now finds himself in the center of major controversy after the firing of Sean McDermott and the promotion of Brandon Beane.

To fix both situations, the two teams should call each other up and swap wide receivers.

The Panthers should trade Xavier Legette for Keon Coleman

It is incredibly rare for players to be traded exclusively for one another in the NFL. There's usually some sort of draft capital attached.

It's even rarer for those two players to be in very similar situations, and the fact that Xavier Legette and Keon Coleman were picked within one spot of each other only makes it more uncommon.

The Bills and Panthers probably both regret taking their respective players over Ladd McConkey, but that's over and done now. Perhaps swapping Legette and Coleman might do each player some good.

Panthers and Bills just need to swap Xavier Legette and Keon Coleman at this point
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) January 21, 2026

Coleman has been put through the ringer. His team is now publicly arguing about who wanted to pick him, thereby making it clear that they are thoroughly displeased with him. The general sentiment is that it was a mistake to select him.

The GM is responsible for picks, but the Bills owner is trying to convince everyone that it was McDermott who foolishly wanted Coleman. Video from before the draft suggests otherwise, making the whole situation even more toxic.

Coleman needs to go somewhere else. Legette's situation isn't toxic. The Panthers continue to say they want to see him work out and want to see him improve. It just may not happen here.

That's why the Panthers can, in one fell swoop, give Legette a second chance on a new team and help Coleman out. At this rate, one of them is not really significantly worse than the other, and a change of scenery would do them both good.

It probably won't happen, but in both instances, neither team is going to get a better return for their struggling WR than a player picked in the top 33 just two years ago.

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