The Carolina Panthers will head into Sunday’s Week 3 matchup at Huntington Bank Field without Xavier Legette, but they will have Jalen Coker available.
Legette, the third-year wideout who was listed as questionable because of a knee injury, is inactive. Coker, who had also been questionable with an ankle issue, is active and set to be part of Bryce Young’s passing game.
The Panthers’ official inactive report also includes linebacker Devin Lloyd, safety Nick Scott, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, emergency quarterback Haynes King, tackle Albert Reese and defensive tackle Cam Jackson. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX, with mild, mostly sunny weather expected in the upper 60s.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to float the receiver update Sunday morning, writing that Coker “should play,” while Legette remained a true game-time decision until the inactive list came out. The full league-wide inactive slate is available on NFL.com.
Legette’s absence removes Carolina’s best vertical wrinkle from the offense. He provided a jolt with a 55-yard grab in last week’s 34-3 win at Atlanta, and his season totals sit at two catches for 64 yards. With him sidelined, Dave Canales will need Tetairoa McMillan, John Metchie III and tight end Tommy Tremble to help keep Cleveland from crowding the short and intermediate areas.
Coker gives Young a different kind of outlet. He has been a steady underneath target, piling up 16 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets.
His route running and hands have helped the Panthers stay on schedule even while he has dealt with the ankle issue that first surfaced in Week 1. Canales said Friday he expected Coker to suit up, and the active designation backed that up.
Carolina’s receiver room has already taken hits. Nic Scourton tore his ACL on the first day of training camp and is out for the year.
Jonathon Brooks was placed on injured reserve this week after aggravating a groin injury that will require core-muscle surgery and keep him out at least six weeks. David Moore and running back Anthony Tyus III were elevated from the practice squad to help with depth.
Even with Legette out, the Panthers’ passing game has shown real bite early. Carolina is averaging 312.5 net passing yards per game through two weeks, the best mark in the NFL.
Young has thrown for 648 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception, including three touchdown passes in both the 59-37 Week 1 loss to Chicago and the Week 2 rout of Atlanta. That start matches a franchise first previously shared only with Jake Delhomme in 2007, a point the team highlighted after last week’s game.
Cleveland’s defense has been physical up front, but it has still allowed 26.5 points per game. Carolina’s defense, meanwhile, turned in a huge Week 2 performance in Atlanta, forcing five takeaways and keeping the Falcons out of the end zone. That unit will be without Lloyd and Scott on Sunday, with Bobby Okereke and Tyrel Dodson starting at linebacker and Zakee Wheatley and Lathan Ransom splitting safety duties.
Young’s early-season control has been the biggest difference from past Septembers. He is completing 63 percent of his passes at 8.9 yards per attempt, and McMillan already has 10 catches for 176 yards. If Coker stays upright and the tight ends can win their matchups, Carolina still has enough to challenge Cleveland down the field even without Legette’s speed.
The 1-1 Panthers are coming off one of the most lopsided wins in franchise history, and the next test is keeping that offensive rhythm intact on the road while working around a shorthanded receiver group and a defense missing two starters.
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Panthers Leave Week 3 With One Problem They Can't Ignore
The Panthers Week 3 loss in Cleveland was the kind of game that leaves a lingering concern beyond the final score. Bryce Young spent much of the afternoon under duress, taking three sacks as Carolinas offense never quite found its footing against a Browns front that made protection a constant issue. Add in the injuries that hit key pieces like wide receiver Jalen Coker and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the margin for error got even thinner.
Carolinas defense had chances to keep the game within reach, but Deshaun Watsons late touchdown pass while scrambling was the sort of play that can swing a close contest and underline what was missing for the Panthers. The bigger issue, though, is hard to miss after a 21-18 loss: if the line cant give Young cleaner pockets and the injury list keeps growing, the offense will have a hard time sustaining anything week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Canales Weighed In On The Call Panthers Fans Are Fuming Over
The Panthers left Week 3 with a bitter feeling, and the sequence that sparked it came late in a loss to the Browns. A roughing-the-passer penalty on linebacker Bobby Okereke wiped out an interception by cornerback Akayleb Evans, turning what looked like a momentum-changing stop into a fresh Browns drive that eventually ended in the game-winning touchdown.
Dave Canales addressed the call afterward and pointed to the hit on Deshaun Watsons head as the reason the flag was thrown, even as Panthers fans bristled at how costly the ruling became. Carolina still had two chances to get back even after that, but the offense came up empty on a turnover on downs and then an interception, leaving the penalty to loom even larger in a game the Panthers had every chance to steal. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Loss Exposed An Offensive Problem Fans Wont Ignore
A rough afternoon against Cleveland put Carolinas offense under the microscope, and not just because Bryce Young was forced to deal with steady pressure. The run game never gave the Panthers much relief, and the combined effect of those issues made it harder for the offense to find any rhythm, especially with injuries also thinning out key spots across the roster.
What stood out most was how little confidence the Panthers seemed to have in leaning on the ground game when the game tightened up. For a group that spent the offseason trying to upgrade its protection and stabilize the offense, the lack of push up front was hard to miss, and it leaves a familiar question hanging over how this unit is supposed to hold up when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]