raleigh-panther

I’ve pulled forward the most important part of the decision Perhaps the most important difference between the two is this: Legette has caught the ball 54.6% of the time when he’s been targeted this season. Coker has caught his targets 76.7% of the time. Coker is simply been better on contested catches, and there are so many of those in the average NFL game. Coker is in, Legette is out and ‘production’ is king at WR2 spot for Panthers Scott Fowler [email protected] 4 hrs ago As the Carolina Panthers prepare for their first playoff game in eight years,at home against the L.A. Rams at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, they are carving out a big role in the game plan for wide receiver Jalen Coker. Why now? To fully understand that, let’s cue the dissolving mist and go back in time just a bit, when the Panthers acquired two notable rookie wide receivers in the spring of 2024. One was Xavier Legette, the South Carolina product the team traded up to get with the 32nd and final pick of the draft’s first round. One was Coker, signed a couple of weeks later, a rookie free agent out of Holy Cross who was a little smaller than Legette, a little slower and very much undrafted. “I get it,” Coker said this week about not being among the 257 players taken in the 2024 NFL draft. “Low (level of) competition. Not a great 40. (Coker’s official 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine was 4.57).” But where and if you get drafted — that only gets you so far. What you do on the field is how playing time is ultimately determined. It’s a production business,” Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik said Wednesday, like so many football coaches have said before him. And so while Coker came from a lot further back in this race than Legette, he’s now leading it. Coker has now supplanted Legette as Carolina’s WR2 — the starting wideout across from rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who remains the passing game’s focal point. It has happened over the past five weeks, as Coker’s yardage numbers and snap counts have risen and Legette’s have declined. It was most apparent Saturday against Tampa Bay. Coker played 92.2% of the snaps. Legette played only 31.4%, the first time all season when healthy that he’s been in for less than half of the offensive snaps. In fact, he only got as many snaps as rookie Jimmy Horn Jr., who also played 31.4%. Coker rewarded the Panthers’ faith with a contested 8-yard catch for a fourth-quarter touchdown, and a team-high six receptions. And while the Panthers haven’t publicized his move in front of Legette, they are no longer shying away from the obvious: Right now, Coker is playing better than Legette, and so he deserves to start and to play far more. “I think anytime you talk about an increased role for one (receiver), it’s going to come at the expense of somebody else,” Idzik said. “Those guys still will have their pieces in the game plan. But again, as of late, Jalen has been doing a great job of making plays for us. And I just commend Xavier, and I commend Jimmy and some of the other guys that take the hit when somebody else is getting more looks.” Said head coach Dave Canales earlier this week: “It’s a really big time for Jalen. He’s been stepping up and making plays for us. … This is a celebration of Jalen just continuing to step up into (more of a starter role).” Why did it take this long? The Panthers traded Adam Thielen away, after all, in late August, partly because Coker was coming along so well. They could envision Coker as a major part of the 2025 offense already. But then Coker suffered a significant quad injury later that week. “I was just, obviously, super upset,” Coker said. … Said Panthers quarterback Bryce Young of Coker: “I can’t say enough about how he’s been playing, how he handles himself, the pro, the competitor he is. We’ve asked him to do so much in offense. We’ve asked him to be in a lot of different roles, in different positions.. … He’s never someone that says, ‘Why do I have to? Why am I doing this?’ He’s happy to be on the field.” Legette, meanwhile, had an OK season in 2024 as a rookie but has seen all of his numbers slightly tail off in 2025. Coker’s overall numbers aren’t that impressive, either, though, because he missed those six games. Coker had 394 receiving yards in 2025; Legette had 363. Both have scored three receiving TDs and have caught between 33 and 35 balls for the season. Perhaps the most important difference between the two is this: Legette has caught the ball 54.6% of the time when he’s been targeted this season. Coker has caught his targets 76.7% of the time. Coker is simply been better on contested catches, and there are so many of those in the average NFL game.

Brady played RG too…so did Jack Curhan

I miss Cam for the fans, the franchise, I hope he does appear it is time it will be a great moment

One would think that should be the plan the oline needs quality young blood, linemen who have not had repetitive injuries or surgeries particularly with a little fella at qb i watch the time brock purdy has in the pocket, it is unbelievable I mean, even a few huddlers could complete a pass or two with that line In this draft, as Andy Reid says, ‘when in doubt, draft linemen’ dline as well

I really like the young guy who hosts Panthers Advice usually very good, little bit unpolished but he knows what he is looking at with film review

12 min Film review below My quick summary 1 run game calls went away from what gave them success 2 plus Corbett has been a liability ….getting beat frequently 3. Most success with rpos success bad toss plays 4. Stating the obvious, hunt’s return could vastly improve the pa tigers chances Saturday

Can we measure football iq these numbers do not mean anything to me as Canales has tried for 2 years to get blood from the turnip that is XL so moore was not in the field very much before his injuries xl makes far too many dumb ass mistakes that after 2 full years he should not be doing Cannot do that in the playoffs, not with this offense, not with this qb.

Panthers activate Chandler Zavala’s IR window The Panthers made a fourth roster move Tuesday ahead of their first practice of the postseason. The team activated guard Chandler Zavala’s 21-day practice window on injured reserve. Zavala, who has been sidelined with a calf injury, can be activated to the 53-man roster at any point over the next three weeks. Along with Hunt, Zavala can create extra experienced depth on the line. He could also be an option to start at right guard over Austin Corbett if Hunt is unavailable. Zavala, who played college ball at NC State, has appeared in seven games (five starts) this season. The 2023 fourth-round pick has appeared in 34 games (14 starts) in his three years with the squad.

He knows the offense he knows how to run routes and block can actually catch the ball he will be where young expects him to be and plays in special teams he is no Pua but he is ions better than whatever it is that Legette is right now …and as sad a statement as that is, it is the truth

Get Hunt out there fingers crossed

Then why wait That playbook appears to have been modified substantially for Young’s abilities one thing is certain, if a team that can’t run the ball, a qb that has trouble with the middle of the field and can’t even run a sneak, the future simply isn’t bright find a qb in the draft. Bring in a decent free agent. Try otherwise, definition of stupidity ‘keep doing the same things over and over again and expect a different result’. 3 years of Young

Yes let’s save it the 49ers or Rams in playoff mode would make it all very very clear

Canales isn’t the answer. Neither is Young the more tape the nfl has on the. Panthers offense the more it fails

I would start with 1. Canales, HC only if he doesn’t like that, he can leave now Any OC that has.put up what he has over 2 years would already be gone 2. Hire a legit OC not named Brad Idzik Canales is not the answer not sure he is the HC answer either but that is next year’s discussion 3. the run offense failed multiple weeks, so run game coordinator and running backs need updating The running backs are nothing special i don’t want to hear Rico is hurt…he hasnt performed for weeks Etienne is there, use him 4 get, and keep Legette off the field very concerned that Canales has become over cautious and in the nfl, cautious is road kill People make light of that kneel down against Seattle Please find me one other nfl team in similar circumstances who so blatantly gave up just like that flea flicker call was a give up Stupid There isn’t a JV coach in this country trying to that would call that in those conditions and that part of the field I just can’t do this franchise anymore

his mechanics won’t change, they simply will not. He reverts to them anytime he thinks he has pressure or can’t see the field young is a symptom that is now a problem The Panthers, in typical Panthers style under Tepper, picked the wrong QB and gave up decent players and the future for him …and exacerbated it post Rivera, with keeping the old GM, then fired the old GM, picked the wrong new GM who kept the old scouts, and series of head coaches to compliment giving up the house for that wrong qb. When it is said the ‘selecting wrong qb sets a team back 5 years, they aren’t kidding, and that’s not considering what was given up for wrong qb don’t know what you want to be, just throw poo to a wall..,have it will stick. It really is that simple Simply put, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig,and the path out of the pig sty is getting harder to find and here we are. I felt nothing yesterday… 30 years following this franchise yet again, a GM from the old regime, a coach on no one else’s radar and a qb that won’t be in the league in 2 to 3 years. History repeats itself the combination of Canales as HC And OC is a disaster. ask yourselves, if Canales was just the OC, would everyone including Tepper, not be calling for his head the mistakes Canales makes are egregious. Sometimes the players bail him out, yesterday, they didn’t

Call his ass in and say either hire a good OC, not named Brad Idzik or you are fired for being an idiot

Cold. Politically incorrect on sssooooo ,many levels Funny Though….and true

I wasn’t trying to cause an issue for you just figured you didn’t know The guy’s efforts at everything seems lackadaisical to me, que sera sera all day, all the time. ….clapping hands after interceptions don’t do it for me either. I want an alpha, not some guy that looks like he is still in his pajamas after sleeping on Momma”s sofa yeah I said it…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

No disagreement Prevent seldom prevents at much other than burning time he wasted a lot of time in that drive. That’s what they wanted him to do in a game in which every second counts, the urgency of this team and coaching staff is severely lacking lollygaggers

I’m just telling you that was arrival,at the stadium I know…I shared it

Prevent defense ?

This was before the game

5 yard check downs and horrible throws do that to a qb

Game over

No more fugi;g 5 yards throws