Panthers coordinators promise a bigger role for Lee Hunter, plus plans to reintroduce Xavier Legette and ramp up special teams

With interim defensive coordinator Todd Wash in place for one week, Carolina’s plan has a clear priority: Lee Hunter will play more. Wash said the rookie defensive tackle’s snap share last week did not match the staff’s intentions, and he framed the adjustment as a communication-and-game-plan issue rather than a performance verdict.

Wash said Hunter played 13 snaps last week, the fewest among Carolina’s five active interior defensive tackles, and that he recorded two tackles and a tackle for loss in that limited action. Wash attributed part of the problem to how the defense was deployed after the Panthers changed out three defensive coaches before the start of last week, and he added that as the game progressed they used fewer base defensive packages than initially planned.

Explaining the mismatch, Wash said Hunter starts in base defense, but Carolina played more four-down and “big nickel” looks, which reduce the number of interior defensive linemen on the field. He said it became a “major, major point of emphasis” to get Hunter additional reps because he is a fit for the style the Panthers want to play, particularly when they are trying to create pressure and attack gaps with athletic interior play.

On offense, interim offensive coordinator Brad Idzik focused on Xavier Legette’s return and what Carolina wants him to do when he is on the field. Idzik pointed to the last play Legette made before he went on injured reserve, a deep post that produced a 55-yard completion, as the most obvious example of his vertical threat and how his presence stresses defenses.

Legette has been sidelined since a knee injury in Week 2, but Carolina opened his 21-day practice window on Wednesday, allowing him to practice for the next three weeks without using a 53-man roster spot. Idzik and the staff described a “get him running and stressing the defense vertically” approach as the clearest way to incorporate him back into the offense.

Special teams also remained a point of emphasis, with special teams coordinator Tracy Smith highlighting Anthony “Tre” Tyus III’s role as Carolina’s kick returner over the last three weeks. Smith said Tyus brings speed, vision, and “soft hands,” and more importantly the willingness to run at full speed into contact, noting the Panthers have used him broadly across kickoff and punt coverage (including a blocked punt in an earlier game).