CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Xavier Legette’s third season has started with the kind of small but telling plays the Panthers have been waiting to see.
Wednesday’s practice ended with a highlight: Legette rising to pull down a Bryce Young pass in the end zone. But the cleaner, more revealing moment came earlier, in one-on-one work against cornerback Corey Thornton. Legette ran an out route, secured Young’s throw around waist level and got both feet down for a crisp catch inbounds.
That kind of play has not always come easy for the former South Carolina receiver, the 32nd pick in the 2024 draft. Early in his career, Legette too often looked out of sync with the situation around him, leading to missed chances and awkward incompletions. One example came in the 2025 season opener at Jacksonville, when he failed to get a second foot down despite having plenty of space.
“I had a couple mishaps where I would step on the line and I was out of bounds last year,” he said.
Legette said he heard the criticism that followed his first two seasons, and he spent the offseason trying to become more “honed in,” a phrase he used twice Wednesday. To sharpen that part of his game, he finished offseason workouts with boundary catches, the same sort of work that showed up against Thornton.
Panthers coach Dave Canales has noticed the difference.
“What I’ve seen him do is just make great plays on the boundary, back of the end zone, just some of those spatial plays where he can go attack the ball, find a way to get his feet down,” Canales said. “He’s really attacked that part of his game. That’s something I’ve seen him really improve on.”
There’s also been a broader reset in how Legette has handled his body and his job. He said he worked out as many as four times a day, lost some weight and changed his offseason routine to try to “bulletproof” his hamstrings after dealing with soft-tissue problems in the past.
He also made repeated trips west for throwing sessions with Young, Tetairoa McMillan and other receivers, including a summer workout in Los Angeles after OTAs. Legette said those sessions helped with timing, but they also pushed him to communicate more with his quarterback.
“I’m talking to him a little more, going up to him and asking him things like how he feels about this and (does) he like this? Am I in the right spot?”
Legette said. “So we’re getting it right.”
The Panthers have reasons to want that progress to stick. Their receiver room took a hit when third-round pick Chris Brazzell suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp, and Canales said Legette has looked explosive and comfortable in the scheme.
Legette’s production dipped last season, with his targets falling from 84 as a rookie to 64, his catches dropping from 49 to 35 and his yards sliding from 497 to 363. He also dealt with some ugly moments that drew plenty of attention. In a Week 2 loss at Arizona, he finished with minus-2 yards on eight targets, becoming only the second player in NFL history to post negative receiving yards on at least eight targets.
Then there was the end-of-half sequence against the Cardinals, when Legette walked back toward the line of scrimmage while the Panthers were trying to operate in hurry-up mode. That gave officials time to review a catch by Ja’Tavion Sanders, which was overturned and forced a punt. Arizona followed with a touchdown before halftime.
“Stuff like that can get you benched,” Legette said. “I just can’t do stuff like that.”
Legette said he understood the need to change. He also pushed back on any idea that his confidence had taken a hit.
“I ain’t never lost my confidence in any way,” Legette said. “Just trying to continue to make plays like that throughout the season and have a good year.”
Jimmy Horn, now in his second year, said he has seen the difference in Legette’s approach.
“I feel like X is more dialed in on everything, from his body to his craft. I feel like as we go through life, you go through trials and tribulations and it’s up to you to grow through it,” Horn said.
“And I feel like X was going through a phase where God took him through some things during the season. And I feel like he’s taking advantage of the opportunity he’s getting now and taking things more serious.”
Legette, Young and the rest of the first-team offense are set to make their preseason debut Saturday at Buffalo, giving Legette another chance to show the Panthers he can be counted on.
“I just had to take a step back. I felt like I was probably a little too loose,” Legette said. “I just had to take a step back and focus on the main thing, for real.”
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