CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales almost cried.

As Xavier Legette came off the field, surrounded by his teammates and coaches celebrating his first touchdown of the season and the score that precipitated the Panthers' comeback win, his head coach tried to work his way to the receiver. They connected for a quick dap before Legette's teammates swarmed him again, but as Canales stood back to watch, he couldn't help but get emotional.

"I was about to cry," laughed Canales after the Panthers' 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, recapping the Legette touchdown. "I honestly just, very proud of the work that he's put in to get himself back out there, because I see him grinding. I see him attacking the things that he needs to work on in practice; he's not shying away from it."

"That means a lot to me," said Legette of the emotion from his head coach. "That shows me that he really believes in me, he cares for me…I want to play with guys like that, play for coaches like that."

The touchdown came with 3:28 left in the second quarter, and the Panthers were trailing 17-0. They needed a score badly to spark momentum. The drive had already proven the most productive of the day, thanks to Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne running the ball, like they would continue to do all day, and an unlikely fourth-down conversion from Bryce Young to Tetairoa McMillan that put Carolina knocking on the red zone.

At that point in the game, Legette had no catches on one target (an overthrown ball that was intercepted). It was mirroring his first two weeks of the season, when the second-year receiver pulled in four catches on 15 targets for 10 yards. He suffered a hamstring injury ahead of Week 3 that kept him sidelined for the next two weeks.

In theory, an easy pitch-and-catch would be a good way to fold the former first-round pick back into the offense, get a catch under his belt, and build from there. But Young and the Panthers know what Legette is capable of; they know he can step up when the stakes are high.

"He's always grinding, always pushing forward, regardless of what's out there," said Young, in defense of his receiver. "What I see is him every single day. I see how he approaches things. I see how he is in meetings, I see how he is in practice. So there wasn't anything different, that's just him being him."

And Xavier, being Xavier, can get the ball on a tough matchup in the end zone. The Dolphins doubled McMillan, leaving Legette with the one-on-one draw. Young threw a go-ball, putting it out in front of Legette, instead of going towards the back of the end zone. It gave Legette a better chance to get down for a for-sure score, but only if he was able to get around the defender and make a sticky catch. The anticipation throw was more about trusting a receiver than anything.

And it paid off.

"I trust him. I believe in him, you know, when you, when you get those those opportunities, they don't come up all the time," Young said. "So I was super excited to see that shot. I just want to give him a chance. He did a great job adjusting to it."

Added Legette, "Bryce just put it in a good spot for me, and I just made the play."

He didn't do his signature horse ride off the field in celebration. Dolla Bill is in the stable for now, Legette told reporters. But he could come out again soon.

"He got to stay up," laughed Legette. "He might come back out, he might come back out."

By game's end, Legette had pulled in another catch as well, finishing with two receptions for 31 yards and the score. Even with only a pair of catches, the production, the game, the score, the weight coming off his shoulders meant this game was the culmination of work for Xavier Legette over the past four weeks.

"I truly believe that Xavier, as he settles in and just does his part when the ball came to him, he made the plays and that's all we need from him," praised Canales. "When he showed up today, he had a great look in his eyes; he was excited to get out there. I saw him through the week, just every day, just building confidence, building confidence."

Before the game, former Panthers' running back Jonathan Stewart jogged out to where Legette was warming up. He put his arm around the young receiver, said a few words, then gave him a pat on the chest before jogging away. His message was simple: they can't stop you from being who you are. Go take it.

It was just another reminder for the South Carolina product that, despite limited production to start the season and a two-week absence while recovering, despite narratives, assumptions, and hot takes, he was here for a reason.

"Jonathan Stewart, he's one of those guys that I feel like he's in my corner," shared Legette after the win. "I feel like he knows what I stand for and what I stand on, man, and I rock with my dude."

Now the challenge becomes consistently producing in this way on a week-to-week basis. But the Panthers saw how Xavier Legette prepared for today, and just as importantly, the effect that preparation and belief in himself can have on their offense and team.

"He hit it head-on, and he looked in the mirror and he said these are the things that I need to improve my game on," said Canales. "To get him back out there healthy and playing confident was huge."