Carolina Panthers: Arian Foster is Available
With training camp coming upon us quickly, the Carolina Panthers have a few more chances to bring in potential gems on the roster.
With the Carolina Panthers ready to get things started with a boatload of receivers on the roster and lots of extra cash, perhaps the team should consider kicking the tires on a couple of veterans through the prove-it deals that general manager Dave Gettleman is so fond of.
One of those veterans believes that he might be a month away from getting back to business. That would be unsigned free agent running back Arian Foster, who advertised his determination to come back to football through an interview with David Nuno of ABC 13 in Houston.
When Foster was last healthy he was one of the most complete backs in the league. He could be a weapon on the ground or in the air. That is also the catch, Foster is recovering from an ACL tear and has not played the sport in a year. The Texans did not show much confidence in his return when they cut him loose.
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The Panthers have liked two back systems in the past. Perhaps the current state of affairs is that Cam Newton is the second running back, but the Panthers have not seen Jonathan Stewart get through an entire season healthy recently. Foster, assuming he can play, could be insurance for that.
Even if Foster can’t play, it won’t cost the Panthers to explore the idea. It would come down to one roster spot more or less. If he flames out or never emerges from IR then the Panthers can go right on with Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzi Whittaker.
The true stumbling block between a Panthers-Foster union may be Foster himself. If he clearly thinks he is the same guy who took over fantasy football a few years ago then he will not want to be a second banana to Stewart or anyone else. That would send him toward a team like Miami, who has less settled in their running back competition.
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Another thing that Foster mentioned could also be the downfall of any deal with the Panthers. He said to Nuno: “I am not one of those Captain America, ‘yes sir, no sir,’ kind of cats and a lot of that comes across as arrogance but if anyone has spent any real time with me, they’ll say I’m not arrogant,” Arian said.
This is a problem on two levels. On the one hand, it shows that Foster has not seen Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier or Captain America 3: Civil War. Cap has come a long way from Foster’s description.
Second, Captain America is Newton’s code name for Luke Kuechly. By declaring himself not be a Kuechly type, Foster most likely would not fit in the Panthers locker room.
Next: Panthers: Glance at Fantasy
Picking up Foster is an example of a gamble that the Panthers have money and flexibility to make. It would not be a surprise to see the team bring in some vets during training camp, possibly from teams making their own cuts.