The Carolina Panthers are currently, hopefully, negotiating with quarterback Cam Newton about a long term deal beyond this season. With that in mind, it is up to get Cam the weapons that he needs to be the most productive player that he can be. Over the next few days, we will look at how the Panthers will look to do that. The overall theme will be speed.
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The first hole that we are going to look at is at running back. The Panthers are prepared to release DeAngelo Williams after June 1st in order to save some money under the cap. That opens up some snaps at the running back position, and the Panthers will need to fill those snaps creatively.
All told, the Panthers rushed the ball 473 times last year. Between injuries and poor pass blocking, there was an uneven share of those carries that went to Cam Newton. Newton wasn’t even fully healthy at times, but he ran 103 times, the second most behind Jonathan Stewart. That rush load is not the ideal situation to understand the Panthers’ needs at running back.
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Perhaps a better idea of balance would be the Buffalo Bills. They ran the ball 402 times last year with two backs having over a hundred carries. Fred Jackson had 141 and Boobie Dixon had 105. CJ Spiller accounted for 78 more with Bryce Brown next with 36. You can see the roles. Jackson was the workhorse, Dixon the power back, and Spiller the home run threat when healthy.
Stewart is now the Panthers’ main back by default. He was supposedly the smash element of the Panthers run game to Williams’ dash element, but the story was never that simple. Stewart had speed and Williams a little power. Williams’ recent history of injury seemed to rob his speed. Stewart will most likely slow down too, eventually. That will put more emphasis on his power nature.
So if Stewart is the power guy, who is the speed guy? Between Stewart, Mike Tolbert, and Newton, the Panthers have a majority of their needs covered. Now they need a speed threat at running back who can catch the ball. One of the reasons that Williams was cut was because there simply were not enough carries to justify his salary. His replacement will need to be productive on snaps where the ball will be thrown.
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My favorite guy to do this kind of thing is Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles. His stats may not show it because his injury, but Sproles is the ideal two way change of pace threat. You need only look at the teams who had him and lost him to see the impact. The Chargers and Saints were not the same teams offensively trying to replace that threat. Sproles averaged ten yards a reception this past year.
He is also under contract. The Panthers need someone like Sproles, and at a cost less than what Williams would have been paid this upcoming season. So where to look?
The Saints brought in Sproles originally to replace Reggie Bush. Bush played a similar role in his time with the Saints. He has been recently cut by the Lions. Yet Bush would bring many the question marks that Williams had. He has a history of injuries and he is basically the same age as Williams. He might be a better receiver, but he also could be a little pricey for what the Panthers are trying to do.
This means the draft. Nowhere do you get better bang for your buck return on running backs than the draft. A mid round back might develop into the future Panthers runner. The Panthers are likely to go tackle early, and that would mean missing out on Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon.
One guy to look at would Jay Ajayi from Boise State. Projected to go in the top three rounds, Ajayi caught 45 passes for 536 yards.
Nov 22, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson (8) carries the ball as Virginia Cavaliers defensive end Kwontie Moore (34) chases in the fourth quarter at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Miami’s Duke Johnson might be another good guy to look at. The speedster is a home run threat with 38 receptions under his belt. His smaller size (5’9”) should not deceive you because he sits at a goodly 200 lbs. Johnson averaged seven yards a carry last year as well.
Smallish Amer Abdullah of Nebraska deserves a look too. His performance at Nebraska last year had him as an early contender for the Heisman trophy. My concern with Abdullah is that the Cornhuskers did not throw to him more. His twenty-two receptions did go for 269 yards, but we’re a step down from Johnson and Ajayi in sheer number of catches here.
So these guys are possibilities to see come in and replace Williams and try to give Newton that Sprolesian weapon that I think he needs.