The Carolina Panthers running back room is one of the most interesting in the league. 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks will eventually take over the starting role, but the Texas product is still recovering from a torn ACL. While he returns to form, Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, and Rashaad Penny will battle for the short-term starter/primary backup role.
Sanders entered the 2023 season as Carolina’s starter, but the big-money free agent crashed and burned before losing the job to Hubbard. Hubbard is a fine player but is nothing more than a backup-caliber talent. Rashaad Penny has a history of being one of the league’s more efficient backs, and the free agent signee believes he can still be one of the top talents in the league.
“I’ve always believed in myself, knowing my capabilities,” Penny said, via the Charlotte Observer. “I think everybody else knows that when I’m healthy, I’m probably like, a top running back in the league. I know my place. I know what I can do. So I just keep striving from there.”
Rashaad Penny: “I’m A Top Running Back In the League”
Rashaad Penny says he’s one of the best running backs in the league when healthy, but he’s struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. A first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the San Diego State product has yet to play a full season. He also took a while to hit his stride, as he didn’t earn a starting job until the 2021 season.
However, from 2021 to 2022, he was one of the league’s more efficient runners. Rashaad Penny led the league with 6.3 yards per attempt in 2021 and followed it up with 57 carries for 346 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in 2022. Unfortunately, he only played in 15 games over those two seasons, so he hardly has a long track record of success.
Additionally, Rashaad Penny failed to do much of anything during his lone season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Originally signed to compete for the starting job, Penny fell behind D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell and only appeared in three games, recording 33 yards on 11 carries.
Who Will Start In Carolina?
Rashaad Penny believes he can start, and maybe he can while Jonathon Brooks works his way back from injury. However, his inability to compete in Philadelphia does not bode well for his long-term future in the league.
Chuba Hubbard might not be a superstar, but the former fourth-round pick has experience in this offense and can do the job at a passable level. Miles Sanders was an outright disaster in 2023, but his contract might force the team to keep him around. Carolina will save a measly $200,000 in cap space by releasing him, so they might as well keep him around.
Then there is Raheem Blackshear. The longtime Panther is a key special teams player, and Rashaad Penny offers no value in that role. Barring injury, Penny probably won’t make the roster. However, if he’s to overcome the odds, it will probably be at the expense of Miles Sanders.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta – USA Today Sports
