Panthers dealing with injuries to top 2 draft picks, backup QB Andy Dalton before preseason opener

Published Aug. 5, 2024 3:05 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers will be without their top two draft picks and backup quarterback Andy Dalton as they prepare for their preseason opener on Thursday night at the New England Patriots.

But it’s not all bad news.

The Panthers avoided serious injury to first-round draft pick Xavier Legette over the weekend when medical exams revealed the wide receiver from South Carolina didn’t fracture his foot as initially feared. The team will remain cautious with Legette moving forward. He is listed as day-to-day.

“It is fantastic news for us really to just find that out,” coach Dave Canales said. “So we’re day-to-day with him. I would not expect him to play in this preseason game just on the side of caution.”

Legette missed time in OTAs with a hamstring injury, but this was a completely different injury. Canales said Legette's foot “was just kind of heating up on him” and he didn't hurt it on a particular play in practice on Sunday.

“We are just trying to get ahead of it,” Canales said. "And I think we did a good job of, or our training staff identifying that and making sure we took the necessary precautions to make sure he’s out there.”

Legette is trying to carve out some playing time in a wide receivers corps that includes veterans Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen and former high draft picks Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr.

Running back Jonathan Brooks, a second-round pick from Tennessee, still hasn’t been on the field yet for the Panthers. He tore his ACL during his final season with the Vols and the Panthers expect he won’t be ready to play until late September at the earliest.

Brooks has the potential to battle for playing time with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders at running back.

At quarterback, the Panthers are down to Bryce Young, Jack Plummer and Jake Luton as their only healthy QBs with Dalton sidelined for a few weeks with a strained quadriceps. Dalton is expected to be ready for the regular season. Luton was signed on Monday with Dalton out.

Canales said he hasn't decided if Young will play in the preseason at all, which is a bit surprising considering he's learning a new offensive system and only has one year of NFL experience under his belt.

“I keep going back and forth with that because there’s some value to just allowing him to play with (center) Austin (Corbett)," Canales said. "And then there’s also the flip side of which we know we’re counting on those guys, and that’s another approach, too, and different teams have different philosophies for how they do that. So that’s something that I’ve been kind of wrestling with.”

Young played in all three preseason games last year as a rookie No. 1 overall pick, getting 54 total snaps.

He shrugged his shoulders when asked if he would be OK not playing in preseason games, saying he is “super confident” in whatever Canales decides.

“I think it’s a process, and I trust in whatever they feel like the process is,” Young said. "Obviously, us being back, we all are competitors. We all are excited for the season. We’re all excited to be on the field together and compete. We all have that competitive edge to us. And then, as far as the preseason goes, I’ll just trust coach with that.”

Regardless of whether Young plays or not, Plummer is expected to see the vast majority of snaps under center in the preseason.

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