Panthers News: John Metchie III Next Man Up
Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III made the most of an expanded role in Sunday’s 21-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns, catching two of five targets for 19 yards and an 8-yard touchdown.
Metchie’s touchdown came with the Panthers working through a thinned-out receiver room. Xavier Legette was inactive with a knee injury that had limited him in practice throughout the week. Jalen Coker started the game but aggravated a quad injury and did not return, finishing with two catches for 18 yards before exiting. Panthers coach Dave Canales said afterward that Coker’s quad “lit up on him a little bit” and that the team could not clear him to go back in once the pain persisted through testing.
With both Legette and Coker unavailable for stretches of the game, Metchie saw more of the field than he had in either of Carolina’s first two outings this season. The Panthers also turned to practice-squad call-up David Moore for added depth at the position.
Metchie signed with Carolina as a free agent in March on a one-year deal after bouncing between three teams in as many seasons. He opened his career with Houston, which selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft, before moving on to Philadelphia and then the New York Jets last season. His time with the Panthers marks a fourth NFL stop.
Going forward, Metchie’s role could keep growing if Legette and Coker are limited or held out again. Coker’s exit came on a new injury rather than a lingering one, and his practice participation this week will determine whether he is available Sunday against Detroit. Legette’s knee issue has not yet produced a clear return timetable either.
Carolina hosts the Lions in Week 4. Detroit’s defense has struggled against pass-catchers who work the middle of the field and has allowed a touchdown to an opposing tight end in every game so far this season, a trend that speaks to some soft spots that could also open things up underneath for Carolina’s receivers. Metchie profiles as a deep-league option worth watching if either Legette or Coker sits out, though he would need a clearer path to targets to be more than a situational add in most formats.
Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense have leaned on a run-first approach for much of the season, which has kept target totals modest across the receiver room even when the top options are healthy. That makes it unlikely Metchie sees a workload befitting a true difference-maker unless Carolina’s top two receivers are out entirely, rather than just working through minor ailments. Still, his touchdown Sunday showed he can be a factor in the red zone when given the opportunity, and that alone is enough to put him on watch lists in deeper leagues heading into a Week 4 matchup against a Detroit defense that has been beatable through the air.
