Xavier Legette can see it every time the Carolina Panthers step on the field: this offense is no longer trying to find itself. It’s humming.
After two weeks, Carolina sits second in the NFL in offense and is putting up 35.5 points per game. That surge was on full display in a 34-3 rout of the Atlanta Falcons, with Bryce Young opening the season on a tear: six touchdowns, one interception, and a 113.3 passer rating.
Legette said the biggest change is how widely the Panthers are spreading the ball around.
"Oh yeah, man for sure," said Legette in a one-on-one interview with RG of the Panthers' improved offense. "The ball's touching everyone's hands. We're spreading it out, and I think Bryce is comfortable getting it downfield."
Young’s numbers back up the leap. In his fourth season and playing for a new contract, he is averaging 14.1 yards per completion and 8.9 yards per pass attempt.
That puts him fifth in yards per pass completion and third in yards per pass attempt. Last season, those marks sat at 9.9 yards per completion and 6.3 yards per attempt.
Legette doesn’t see the difference as a confidence issue.
"Someone would tell me confidence, but I don't think he ever lacked confidence, man," said Legette of what is different about Young. "I think for him, we've just all been working together, man.
And he got that trust in us. We got that trust in him, man.
We're just working together.
"He's getting the ball out of his hands quicker," Legette continued. "He's expanding. He's looking through the progression and putting it in our hands, man."
The Panthers’ attack looks deeper and more balanced than it has in a while. Jalen Coker is in his third season, Chuba Hubbard is in his sixth season in Carolina, and Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan is in his second year. Darren Waller was brought in late during the preseason, and the former Pro Bowl tight end wasted no time making an impact with two touchdown catches against Atlanta.
Legette likes how hard that makes life on defenses.
"Oh man, it makes it harder for defenses because they can't focus on one guy," said Legette. "Jalen Coker, he's having an outstanding year.
Ever since he's been here, he's been doing great things. Tetairoa, he came in, he's been doing great things.
Chuba, you see what he do, and then just adding Darren Waller, man, he's really a receiver that's just a tight end to tell you the truth, man. He can run, he can catch, he can ball, he can do whatever, man.
So it's no key points to where they got to focus on one guy. They got to kind of just play all of those."
"To me, it looks like it's going great," said Legette of the Waller addition. "If you ask me, he understands this offense. I mean, it's just going good for him."
A lot of the credit goes to second-year head coach Dave Canales, whose imprint is obvious on the offense. Legette called him the kind of coach who sets a hard edge and demands it every day.
"You can tell he's a coach that wants to win, man," said Legette. "I think he's a blue collar coach.
He wants us to play hard, and he's gonna make sure that we're gonna play hard. He put us in positions to be able to win.
I think he's a good coach."
Legette also pointed to the Panthers’ identity early in the season: finishing.
"We know how to finish, as long as we do that, that'll be our identity, man," said Legette. "It'll be self-explanatory."
If Carolina wants to repeat as division champs, Legette says the formula stays simple.
"Do the small things," said Legette. "We got to do the small things, man. We have to basically hone in on the details.
"We have the talent, so that just falls back to honing onto the details, man," Legette continued. "Like the small things, we can't let them slip through the cracks.
We got to keep playing together. Can't play any selfish ball."
Next up is a Cleveland Browns team coming off its biggest win in the Deshaun Watson era, a surprise upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. The Browns entered that game as heavy underdogs against a Mayfield-led Tampa Bay team, but came out with the win.
For Legette, the Panthers’ path in Week 3 starts with the offense staying on schedule.
"We gotta win the matchups, and we gotta move the ball, man," said Legette. "As long as we are able to move the ball, it'll be good."
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