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Carolina Panthers rookie WR Xavier Legette leaves practice with lower leg injury

Nick Profile Picby: Nick Geddes08/04/24NickGeddesNews
Xavier Legette
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers rookie receiver Xavier Legette left practice early Sunday with a lower leg injury, head coach Dave Canales announced.

The injury is unrelated to the hamstring issue Legette was dealing with during OTAs earlier this offseason.

“It’s something in his lower leg,” Canales said, via Joe Person of The Athletic. “I don’t want to get into any details. We’re just gonna evaluate him this afternoon as a precaution and then we’ll go from there. I’ll have more information for you guys.”

Legette, Carolina’s first round selection (32nd overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft, has been a training camp standout and is expected to be one of quarterback Bryce Young‘s preferred targets this season. The 23-year-old broke out in his final season with the Gamecocks, hauling in 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. The Panthers were high on Legette throughout the draft process, trading up one spot and into the first round to select him.

Xavier Legette coming along in training camp

Legette admitted last week he “started slow” to open up camp, with Canales saying he and the rest of the rookies needed to “earn their place.”

“Yeah, not really behind, I guess,” Canales said. “It’s just a matter of I would love for the guys on our team to earn their place, to earn those valuable reps. And he’s getting a lot of work. There’s a measure for all the young guys—show us. Show us you’re working hard. Show us you’re doing all the things the right way so that we can go in with full confidence and trust.

“So, it’s not a knock on him for not doing those things. It’s like, keep showing us who you are and showing us what you wanna do.”

Young, meanwhile, is excited to work with a wideout with the ability and size that Legette offers.

“That combination of size, speed, how explosive he is, the way he comes out of routes, it’s definitely something that I gotta get used to,” Young said. “We’re working on getting that timing down, but I’m super excited.”