The Carolina Panthers came into Week 4 looking for someone to step up in the wide receiver corps after the injury to their number 2 receiver Adam Thielen went down with a hamstring injury and was placed on injured reserve. Diontae Johnson is the unquestioned #1 option in the Panthers offense, but they needed someone to fill the shoes of Thielen and provide new quarterback Andy Dalton with another option in the passing game.
The first crack at that secondary option was going to go to second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo, and there was some hope that he would be able to take the opportunity and run with it. After one week, it looks like that role will instead go to rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette.
On the day, Mingo only got five targets in the Panthers offense against the Cincinnati Bengals, and was only able to turn those five targets into three receptions for 24 yards. His counterpart, Legette, was Dalton’s second favorite target on the day, seeing 10 targets and turning them into 6 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. It’s only one week, so fans shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the output, especially in a game where the Panthers offense largely struggled once again.
Dalton was only 25/40 on the day, with just 5.5 yards per attempt, with two touchdowns and one interception. It’s an improvement from what they were getting from former starter Bryce Young, but there’s still a lot left to be desired. As for Legette, patience is warranted before fans anoint him as the second option in the Panthers’ offense. Legette has been here before this season. He opened his rookie campaign with seven targets in his first game, with four catches for 35 yards.
The next game, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Legette didn’t see a single target. The game after that, it was much the same story, with Legette only seeing three targets, getting two receptions for 42 yards. We’ll have to see if history repeats itself next week as the Panthers take on the Chicago Bears. If today was any indication, it’s Legette who is primed to step up for Carolina, not Mingo.
