Panthers' receiver room is running out of bodies

Xavier Legette's cart ride off the practice field Tuesday was the fourth significant blow to Carolina's skill positions this camp, and the receiving corps has taken the worst of it. Chris Brazzell II is already on Injured Reserve after season-ending LCL surgery. Dan Chisena is on IR. Now Legette — the team's 2024 first-round pick and their second-most productive receiver last season with 371 yards and three touchdowns — is hurt again, extent unknown.

What's left at the position is thin in a way that was already a problem before any of this happened. David Moore is the nominal starter at 31 years old and was barely a factor last season. Behind him, Malick Meiga and Micah Simon have logged no meaningful snaps at this level. Tetairoa McMillan is healthy and back on the active roster, which matters enormously — he was the offense's spine last year, and his clearance in late July was the one piece of good news in an otherwise grim stretch. But asking McMillan to carry the room while the rest of it falls apart is a significant ask.

The offensive line situation compounds everything. Taylor Moton remains out with a blood clot in his lung, and Ikem Ekwonu is also out, meaning both starting tackles are unavailable. Brady Christensen was re-signed following his Achilles recovery and slots in as depth, but the line Bryce Young is working behind right now looks nothing like the one that was supposed to protect him in 2026.

The Panthers went 7–3 in one-score games last season, which told you something real about this group's competitive character. That kind of toughness doesn't evaporate. But it also can't substitute for bodies, and right now Carolina is short on those at two of the positions that matter most.