Panthers WR Xavier Legette injured, carted off the field. What his coach said
Xavier Legette made a great catch on Tuesday morning.
And then, for a few minutes, he didn’t get off the ground.
The Carolina Panthers’ third-year wide receiver took a nasty tumble after hauling in a touchdown reception on a deep fade ball from quarterback Bryce Young. Legette made the catch over defensive back Cam Miller — who was covering him well on this 7-on-7 rep — and then appeared to land hard on his side and part of his head.
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While the offense celebrated the splash play, Legette lay on the ground. The music stopped. Young and tight end Tommy Tremble kneeled beside him, appearing to pray. Four trainers gathered around him, asking him to move his fingers, toes, legs and arms.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound wideout from the University of South Carolina then proceeded to lift himself off the ground on his own power, climbed into the front seat of the cart and was whisked away — appearing alert and in good spirits.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters after the practice that Legette successful cleared his concussion test, but he did sustain an injury that might keep him sidelined for a little bit.
“We went in and evaluated him and cleared him of a concussion,” Canales said. “But it looks like a stinger, so we’re going to evaluate him more over the next day or so to make sure he’s in the right spot.”
Canales added that “we have a nice little window here” for Legette’s recovery because the Panthers didn’t plan on playing starters in their first preseason contest — the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday at 8 p.m.
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It’s not the worst thing to hear but is still difficult for the Panthers. Legette, after a difficult 2025, is in the best shape of his NFL career to date — down 7 to 10 pounds from his playing weight a year ago. He’s also successfully “bulletproofed” his hamstrings, he said, eliminating the soft-tissue injuries that plagued his first few preseasons in the pros.
It’s also tough from another perspective: The team has been plagued with injuries thus far this preseason — from the two season-ending injuries with OLB Nic Scourton and rookie WR Chris Brazzell, to the other minor ones, like starting left guard Damien Lewis’ calf injury that just won’t go away.
Legette, in fact, has a lot of responsibility particularly on him now that Brazzell — the team’s third-round pick and speedster and deep threat — is out for the year. Legette’s teammate, Jalen Coker, said that Legette has been “balling” all summer.
Said Canales of Legette last week: “We have big plans for him. He’s got big plans for himself.”
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This story will be updated.
