Panthers place Legette on IR, ruling WR out for next 4 games

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  Mike KayeOct 3, 2026, 05:12 PM ET

CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers have placed 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette on injured reserve ahead of Sunday night's matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Legette was ruled out with a knee injury on Friday and was set to miss his second consecutive game after sustaining the ailment in the Week 2 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He will now miss at least three additional games by being placed on the injury list on Saturday.

Leading wide receiver Jalen Coker (quad) enters the weekend with a questionable tag and the team elevated Ja'seem Reed from practice squad to the game-day roster for Sunday as insurance. Tetairoa McMillan, John Metchie III, Brycen Tremayne and David Moore make up the rest of the position group.

"Well, Ja'seem will come up and help," Canales said Friday. "Last week, we finished the game with Brycen, [he] made a couple of nice plays for us. David Moore also was up catching punts, and he's able to help us out that way.

"We got Metchie. Metchie will, if Jalen doesn't go -- Metchie's practiced and ready, because Jalen wasn't able to go fully, a couple of the other days. John was able to take some of his reps."

Reed, if officially active against Detroit, will make his NFL regular-season debut in prime time. He caught seven passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns in three preseason games this summer. A 2025 undrafted free agent, Reed spent his entire rookie season on the Carolina practice squad.

Right tackle Monroe Freeling, who was listed as questionable heading into the weekend, cleared concussion protocol on Saturday. He will start at right tackle against the Lions.

With Freeling's status settled, Coker and defensive linemen Lee Hunter (foot) and Cam Jackson (knee) remain questionable on the Panthers' injury report. Starting left guard Damien Lewis (elbow), like Legette, was previously ruled out.

Along with Reed, the team elevated veteran cornerback Robert Rochell from the practice squad to the game-day roster. Rochell spent part of last season and all of this past summer with Carolina. He is a known special teams ace, who will provide depth with rookie Will Lee III and journeyman Akayleb Evans set to start in place of Jaycee Horn (quad) and Mike Jackson (groin) at cornerback on Sunday. The Panthers also have Chau Smith-Wade at cornerback.

The Panthers have several notable players on injured reserve ahead of their Week 5 bye. Along with Legette, Horn and Jackson, outside linebacker Nic Scourton (knee), wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (knee), guard Brady Christensen (hamstring), running backs Jonathon Brooks (groin) and Trevor Etienne (ankle) and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott (hamstring) are on the list. Starting tackles Ickey Ekwonu (patellar tendon) and Taylor Moton (blood clot) are on the physically unable to perform (PUP) and non-football illness (NFI) lists.