June 28, 2026, 2:45 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
When the Carolina Panthers<\/a> selected<\/a> wide receiver Xavier Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he only had an aging Adam Thielen to compete with for the team’s top pass-catching role. Fast-forward two years later\u2014and not only has Legette been surpassed in that race by 2025 first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, but he now has to worry about falling out of the rotation entirely.<\/p>\n If Legette doesn’t show up in the best shape of his life at training camp and make an impact, there’s a decent chance we will see him on the trade block soon enough. In fact, he’s been named a potential trade candidate<\/a> over at NFLTradeRumors.co.<\/p>\n Logan Ulrich writes:<\/p>\n Legette has slipped down the depth chart and now faces competition from an even freakier athlete, third-rounder WR Chris Brazzell II. Carolina moved on from an underperforming WR Jonathan Mingo a couple years ago and could try to run that play again this preseason if Legette doesn’t step up.<\/p>\n Legette\u2014who saw his snap share decrease<\/a> down the stretch in 2025\u2014isn’t the only Panthers who disappointed last season, though. Both of Carolina’s big swings to the defensive line in free agency proved to be misses, with Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III falling short of expectations in 2025.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n Brown, after ranking as the 80th-highest graded defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus, has also made the cut\u2014joining Legette on Ulrich’s list:<\/p>\n The Panthers have made some other additions to their interior defensive line this offseason, and Brown didn’t quite deliver like the team hoped when it signed him last off-season. There will be pressure on his role and if another team is willing to take the contract, it could result in a trade.<\/p>\n Moving Brown’s contract is easier said than done. Last spring, he signed a three-year, $21 million deal that included $4 million guaranteed.<\/p>\n Brown still has around $18 million in cap hits remaining on the contract. According to Over the Cap<\/a>, if the Panthers can find a trade partner, they would save $6.2 million this year and another $8 million in 2027.<\/p>\n