(AP) — The Carolina Panthers will be without their two top draft picks and backup quarterback Andy Dalton as they prepare for their season opener Thursday night against the New England Patriots.
But there is not only bad news.
The Panthers avoided a serious injury to first-round draft pick Xavier Legette over the weekend, as medical tests revealed the South Carolina wide receiver did not break his foot as initially feared. The team will continue to remain cautious with Legette, who is listed as “day to day.”
“This is really fantastic news for us,” said coach Dave Canales. “So we’re watching him day by day. I wouldn’t expect him to play in this preseason game for safety reasons.”
Legette missed some time in OTAs because of a hamstring injury, but that was a completely different injury. Canales said Legette’s foot “just kind of got hot” and he didn’t injure it on a specific play in practice on Sunday.
“We’re just trying to get ahead of that,” Canales said. “And I think we’ve done a good job, or our training staff has recognized that and made sure we’ve taken the necessary precautions to make sure he’s out there.”
Legette is trying to secure some playing time in a wide receiver corps that includes veterans Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen, as well as former high draft picks Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr.
Running back Jonathan Brooks, a second-round pick out of Tennessee, has not yet played for the Panthers. He suffered a torn ACL in his final season with the Vols, and the Panthers do not expect him to be ready to play until late September at the earliest.
Brooks has the potential to compete for playing time with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders at running back.
At quarterback, the Panthers have Bryce Young, Jack Plummer and Jake Luton as the only healthy QBs, as Dalton is out for several weeks with a strained quadriceps. Dalton is expected to be fit for the regular season. Luton was signed on Monday when Dalton was out.
Canales said he hasn’t decided whether Young will even play in the preseason, which is a bit surprising considering he’s learning a new offensive system and has only one year of NFL experience under his belt.
“I keep thinking about whether I should do it that way because there’s value in just letting him play with (center) Austin (Corbett),” Canales said. “And then there’s the flip side of knowing we’re counting on those guys and that’s a different approach too and different teams have different philosophies on how they do it. So that’s something I kind of grapple with.”
Young played in all three preseason games last year as the No. 1 rookie, playing a total of 54 snaps.
When asked if he would be OK with not taking part in the preseason games, he shrugged and said he was “super confident” whatever Canale’s decision.
“I think it’s a process, and I trust whatever they perceive as a process,” Young said. “Obviously, we’re all competitors now that we’re back. We’re all excited for the season. We’re all excited to be on the field together and compete. We all have that competitive edge. And as far as the preseason goes, I just trust coach.”
Regardless of whether Young plays or not, Plummer is expected to see the vast majority of snaps at quarterback in the preseason.
