S Fowler Coker in, Legette out as wr2

[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.

 

 

 

[Waldo]

Great. Now they can get a read on XL going into the offseason. Anything less than showing a hard reality check in him should result in moving him in the offseason. If that doesn't light a fire under him then get him gone for whatever they can get. 

Should have happened way earlier.

[kungfoodude]

7 minutes ago, Waldo said:

Great. Now they can get a read on XL going into the offseason. Anything less than showing a hard reality check in him should result in moving him in the offseason. If that doesn't light a fire under him then get him gone for whatever they can get. 

Should have happened way earlier.

I think they will likely shop him around.

[Waldo]

3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I think they will likely shop him around.

Im not expecting him to suddenly find a brain like the scarecrow but it's worth a look before dumping him. Who knows, miracles happen once in a while.

[shaqattaq]

If Coker hadn't been injured, this would have happened a while ago. Way to go Coker!

[kungfoodude]

5 minutes ago, Waldo said:

Im not expecting him to suddenly find a brain like the scarecrow but it's worth a look before dumping him. Who knows, miracles happen once in a while.

Once you get demoted like this, there isn't much path upwards. They are better off trying to maximize any potential trade value for a bust WR with a high ceiling like they did with Mingo. If they wait until next season, that value will drop off a cliff.

[electro's horse]

I don’t really think WR number rankings matter much in this offense.

If it does I think this is Dave acknowledging they’re going to have to throw the ball more on Sunday because XL is legit a good blocker. Or at least not bad enough I ever notice. Don’t think we’re going to be turning over Stafford three times again. 

Edited 22 hours ago by electro's horse

[PleaseCutStewart]

I'd honestly be surprised if XL has ran out of bounds on a route less than 50% of the time this year, much less caught 50% of passes thrown his way...

[toldozer]

22 years to the day on Saturday we had x-clown.

 

Saturday I suspect we see XL is a clown where he is wide open on the sideline and steps out of bounds before securing the catch

[App Panther]

Fuchess 2.0

Mingo 2.0

It’s like these two had a baby and it was XL.

[3838]

Missed Opportunity.....

 

[NorthTryon]

Coker has really stepped up to draw as much positivity for himself out of our current QB's limitations. When you are only getting six or less targets a game, it is imperative you catch them all. XL has dropped some passes, so has TMAC. Coker has not. Putting their production side by side is meaningless as TMAC cannibalized most of the 100-150 yds per game that Bryce doles out. One of the few games Bryce had more than 150yds passing, what do you know, XL has 90yds receiving and a touchdown. I'll say it again, throwing away a 1st round pick, acting like you know the kid doesn't want to play football, and has a low IQ is ridiculous while simultaneously talking about QB up grades/trash play in other threads.  

[Montsta]

39 minutes ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

I'd honestly be surprised if XL has ran out of bounds on a route less than 50% of the time this year, much less caught 50% of passes thrown his way...

It’s the small things too like refusing to tap toes on sideline catches. Every WR since pop warner gets taught that and does it on instinct and muscle memory. Except XL, who catches (lol) sideline passes with a massive step out of bounds instead of a dragged toe. Like every time too. 

[t96]

27 minutes ago, App Panther said:

Fuchess 2.0

Mingo 2.0

It’s like these two had a baby and it was XL.

Funchess wound up disappointing obviously but he was a wayyyyyy better player than Mingo or XL, albeit briefly. Funch was a legit weapon in 2017, not a great WR1 but actually a guy defenses had to care about. Mingo isn't even an NFL player and XL clearly not a starter which sucks for a 1st round pick we traded up for. I view guys like Funchess, LaFell as being worth their draft positions and having ok NFL careers (LaFell better than Funch clearly, but who knows what happens with Funch if there was no covid). XL and Mingo on the other hand are massive busts who are just flat out bad football players.