Sep 14, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) warms up prior to the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Since drafting Xavier Legette in 2024, the Carolina Panthers have been unable to truly unlock the wide receiver. He and quarterback Bryce Young have been unable to get on the same page. Even last year, when Legette produced, he and Young did not have chemistry.

In 2025, that should've gotten better, but it hasn't. Legette is off to a horrible start, even setting a record last week for most targets and negative receiving yards for a wide receiver. Yet, through it all, Young is puzzingly happy to have Legette as a teammate.

If you were to pick a word to describe what Xavier Legette is to the Panthers' offense, you'd probably pick something like detriment. Harmful and detractor might even come to mind. For Bryce Young, the word is "luxury."

"We've communicated like I communicate to everyone else," Young said in a press conference. "Having a guy like that out there, it's a luxury for me. It's a luxury for this offense. We all, as an organization, have a ton of faith in him."

Young also noted that there's no "negativity" from anyone regarding Legette. Recently, Chuba Hubbard and Dave Canales defended the second-year pro, and now his quarterback has gone to bat for him.

It's easy to see why Young might feel this way. On paper, a tall and fast receiver is a luxury, but Legette just hasn't lived up to the billing his physical traits imply. Young has also never even once talked down about a teammate or anything, so it's no surprise that he propped up Legette.

The sad truth is that this offense is somewhat tied to Legette's success, as is the future of the team. For better or worse, he is a crucial part of this WR corps, and so Young should absolutely be complimenting him and trying to continue developing that chemistry.

It just so far hasn't paid off, but there is nowhere to go but up from here. Legette really can't possibly play any worse than he has, so he should get better.

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