2 young Panthers players who need to step up down the stretch of 2024 NFL season

Matt Alquiza | 3 Hours Ago

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Dan Morgan and Dave Canales' path to building a winner in Charlotte has been rocky thus far. However, following back-to-back wins over the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants and an unequivocal moral victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the road to contention for the Carolina Panthers has become increasingly clearer.

Young players up and down the roster have continued to show promise, and the most important young player, Bryce Young, has improved enough to be considered the team's quarterback of the present and the future. In order for the Panthers to continue their winning ways, morally or otherwise, two youngins specifically need to step up their play.

Xavier Legette

The rookie wide receiver has checked almost every box through 11 career games. The trade of Diontae Johnson and the long-term injury to Adam Thielen put more on Legette's carb-loaded plate than Canales or Morgan probably desired, but the South Carolina product has continued to feast on opposing defensive backs.

His 33 receptions and four receiving touchdowns lead the team, and his efforts in the run game do not go unnoticed, but Legette continues to leave big plays on the field weekly.

In Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, Bryce Young uncorked a dime down the left sideline that floated perfectly into the outstretched arms of Xavier Legette until it didn't. Legette couldn't hold onto the ball, marking his second brutal drop in as many home games.

The rookie's talent is abundantly clear. Legette has the requisite speed, size, and finesse to be a starting-caliber receiver in the NFL for a long time, but lapses in concentration like these mar his promising abilities.

Drops aren't a death sentence for a young receiver. Ja'Marr Chase's famously buttered fingers had folks calling him a bust following his maiden preseason, and it turns out that he's just fine. As long as these drops are just a blip on the radar of Legette's ascencion into superstardom, all will be forgotten. If they become a trend that continues to let down his quarterback, it's time to worry about his future in the league.

Ickey Ekwonu

Ikem Ekwonu knows a thing or two about rocky paths.

The hulking Carolina native has endured a career's worth of narrative changes about his play in just two and a half seasons of professional ball. He was dominant as a rookie, abysmal as a sophomore, and is solid, yet shaky, as a third-year starter.

On Sunday specifically, Ekwonu's penchant for penalties nearly stalled out Carolina's offense on multiple occasions, the most notable of which came on a third and five when the Panthers possessed the ball on Kansas City's 10-yard line. Ekwonu was called for a false start (his second of the game), Carolina failed to convert on third and 10, and Eddy Piñero was called upon to bang in his fourth field goal of the game.

Ekwonu boasts immense talent. He is a true weapon in the run game, and although his pass protection is shaky, Joe Gilbert has squeezed solid play out of him in 2024. Like Legette, consistency is the biggest issue for Ekwonu, and more of it will solidify his place in Carolina's future.