The Carolina Panthers cut bait with Diontae Johnson a week ahead of the NFL trade deadline, sending him to the Baltimore Ravens in a trade and opening up a significant role in their offense.
Left behind in Carolina is a veteran poised to return, a first-round pick with promise, and a handful of others vying for snaps and targets.
Here’s a closer look at the Panthers’ wide receiver depth chart.
Xavier Legette
As Carolina looks to rebuild its WR depth chart, the foundational piece upon which they’ll work is Xavier Legette, a 2024 first-rounder (No. 32 overall). With Johnson’s departure, Legette, just 23 years old, is now Carolina’s clubhouse leader with 22 receptions for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 35 targets.
At 6-2, 227 pounds, Legette is a physically imposing target, but he’s also supremely athletic, as demonstrated by his pre-draft workout performances in which he clocked a 4.39 time in the 40-yard dash as well as a 40-inch vertical leap.
Xavier Legette scores
Xavier Legette shouts out Dolla Bill
🎥: @NFL pic.twitter.com/Clx16BeNPe
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) October 27, 2024
While trouble at the quarterback position and injuries to fellow key offensive contributors will hamper Carolina’s offensive output in 2024, there’s no question Legette represents a high-potential option at the position for many seasons to come.
David Moore
David Moore came up the hard way as a seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, but he’s managed to carve a niche out for himself with several teams since then. Now, he’ll step into a more prominent role following the Johnson trade and Adam Thielen still on the mend.
Moore is best known for his time with the Seahawks, where he played in 51 games (including four playoff contests) from 2017-20 and scored 13 touchdowns. He also registered some notable moments with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season in seven regular-season games and two postseason contests, where he caught eight passes and scored twice.
Too smooth! David Moore takes it in for a 44-yard TD 🙌
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/K04XZqqPvb— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2024
This past week, with both Johnson and Thielen unavailable due to injury, Moore caught four of five targets for 39 yards on an 82% snap share.
Even if Thielen returns to the lineup, Moore represents a serviceable third option for the Panthers because of his ability to play multiple positions within the scheme.
Jalen Coker
Another intriguing bright spot on the Panthers’ wide receiver depth chart is 2024 undrafted free agent Jalen Coker. A product of Holy Cross, Coker did not make the initial 53-man roster out of training camp but was signed to the practice squad soon after cuts and was eventually promoted to the active roster on Sept. 24.
Since then, the 6-3, 213-pound pass catcher has been active each week for Carolina, and he’s twice led the team in receiving yards. For the season, Coker has 12 receptions on 15 targets for 186 yards and one score.
"The kid from Holy Cross is a hell of a route runner."@SteveSmithSr89 knew (before the draft) that Jalen Coker had all the tools to be successful 🤩 pic.twitter.com/jWFasrL94g
— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) October 29, 2024
Aside from his size and diamond-in-the-rough background, Coker’s chances of succeeding are enhanced by his schematic versatility. He has run 80 routes from the slot, where he’s collected eight receptions on nine targets for 118 yards. But he’s also run 26 routes lined up outside, totaling 68 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Jonathan Mingo
A second-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2023, Jonathan Mingo’s production through 23 career games does not match the promise associated with a 39th overall pick. He has 52 career receptions for 501 yards, including 12 catches for 121 yards this season, but still no touchdowns.
The 6-2, 220-pound receiver is still just 23 years old, though, and now with Johnson gone and Thielen yet to return from injury, it appears he’ll see even more reps against NFL defenses. Mingo’s prospects bear monitoring given the lackluster quarterback play Carolina has provided him in his short career.
Injured Reserve
- Thielen: A hamstring injury has sidelined the veteran pass catcher since Week 3, but his practice window has been opened, and his return is anticipated as soon as Week 9. Once that happens, he is instantly Carolina’s most reliable offensive weapon and will command significant shares in snaps and targets.
Practice Squad
- Dan Chisena
- Praise Olatoke
- Deven Thompkins
