Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Which Panthers saw their stock rise and which saw their stock fall in Saturday’s preseason win over the Commanders?
Despite the result, Saturday’s victory over the Washington Commanders isn’t what mattered most for the Carolina Panthers. Because in the preseason, it’s all about progress.
Here’s who made some leaps (and who didn’t) in the team’s first go at exhibition action in 2022.
Will Baker Mayfield continue to establish himself over Sam Darnold when the Panthers take on the Commanders?
The Carolina Panthers may be void of some wins since head coach Matt Rhule took over. But as they enter the 2022 campaign, they’re certainly not void of some interesting storylines.
Here are just a handful of those to keep an eye on for Saturday’s preseason matchup with the Washington Commanders.
Which burning questions should the Panthers offense have figured out by the end of training camp?
Training camp is upon us, Carolina Panthers fans. So it’s time for that action!
But this time, as it does every summer, also brings a wide range of questions about the roster. And luckily, we’re here to break it down to the meat and potatoes.
Here, as we set up shop in Spartanburg, is one burning question for each position group on the Carolina offense.
Only Wisconsin can boast as many Doak Walker winners as Texas.
Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are squarely in the spotlight heading into the 2022 season. The two running backs were named to the preseason Doak Walker Watch List issued by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum.
The Doak Walker award is given to the best running back in the nation. Doak Walker was a standard-setter at SMU at the halfback position.
Famously, Ricky Williams wore No. 37 in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma to honor the running back with whom he would befriend before Walker’s passing. Williams, now known as Errick Miron, remarked, “I thought it would be neat to wear 37 in the house that Doak built,” said Williams. “I’m playing with him in my heart.”
Four Longhorns have won the prestigious award. Only Wisconsin can boast as many Doak Walker winners as Texas.
Robinson and Johnson will try to join Cedric Benson, D’Onta Foreman, and two-time winner Ricky Williams on that list.
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
As long as Christian McCaffrey stays off the IR, the Panthers can confidently boast one of the NFL’s top rushing groups.
The running back position has recently been a bit of a sore spot for the Carolina Panthers . . . literally. But if the injury bug stays away in 2022, specifically from its lead horse, then they have one of the league’s most potent backfields.
Pro Football Focus analyst Ben Linsey recently ranked each NFL team’s rushing units. As he notes, the Panthers’ group—as it has for the past handful of seasons—goes as Christian McCaffrey does.
And hopefully, that’s far away from the injured reserve from here on out.
Christian McCaffrey earned an 86.5 PFF grade in 2019 — third among qualifying running backs — on over 1,000 snaps,” writes Linsey, who puts Carolina at No. 8. “He almost never left the field and was integral to everything Carolina did on offense, ranking eighth in the league in rushing conversions (56) and ninth in receiving conversions (58) across players at all positions. The issue with moving Carolina any higher is that McCaffrey hasn’t played more than 300 offensive snaps in either of the two seasons since that 2019 campaign.
Following his phenomenal 2019 campaign—where he became the third player ever to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season—McCaffrey has played in just 10 of a possible 33 games. But, when healthy, the dynamic dual threat is right in the thick of the conversation for the sport’s best rusher.
His 2021 absences were filled primarily by rookie Chuba Hubbard, who Linsey also mentions alongside free-agent signing D’Onta Foreman.
“Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman have both proven themselves to be adequate fill-ins if injury strikes again, but the Panthers need a healthy McCaffrey in 2022.”
Hubbard led the Panthers with 612 rushing yards on 172 attempts this past year. And Foreman, who also stepped up in the absence of a star back in Derrick Henry, ran for 566 yards and three scores for the Tennessee Titans.
There’s no doubt both Hubbard and Foreman are more than capable backups. Carolina, however, hopes they won’t even have to verify that with McCaffrey returning to the fold.
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A look at the three moves the Titans made on Tuesday, with a grade for each.
The Tennessee Titans made a trio of moves on Tuesday, the second day of the legal tampering period of free agency.
Tennessee started off the day by releasing veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a move that was fully expected.
The team then went on to agree to terms with its second outside free agent in former Houston Texans defensive back, A.J. Moore. Finally, the Titans reportedly declined to tender fullback Khari Blasingame.
One pending free agent who was lost to another team was running back D’Onta Foreman, who agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers. My thoughts on why the Titans didn’t re-sign him are here.
With Day 2 of the legal tampering period in the books, and the official start of free agency coming on March 16 at 4 p.m. ET, here’s a look at how we graded Tennessee’s moves from Tuesday.
Note: Follow along with our tracker for all of the Titans’ latest moves.
There are multiple reasons why Foreman might have flown the coop for Carolina.
The Tennessee Titans lost one of their better pending free agents on Tuesday when running back D’Onta Foreman reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with the Carolina Panthers.
According to Josina Anderson of USA TODAY, it’s a one-year pact for $2 million.
So, how did the Titans lose Foreman, someone they almost certainly wanted back, to Carolina? There could be a few reasons.
The first guess is the money. While the $2 million doesn’t seem like a lot, it is a fairly significant price to pay for a backup running back who might play sparingly at best behind Derrick Henry — and that’s especially true with Tennessee being strapped for cash this offseason.
Also bear in mind the Titans paid less than that combined in 2021 for Foreman, Adrian Peterson, Jeremy McNichols, and Dontrell Hilliard.
Yes, Henry did suffer a serious injury that made Foreman extremely valuable in 2021, but we have to remember that such an injury is an outlier for Henry, even going back to before his professional career.
And that leads me to my next point: opportunity.
In Carolina, Foreman will be one of three backs on the roster with a chance to play, along with starter Christian McCaffrey and 2021 fourth-round pick, Chuba Hubbard.
With the former’s injury history, it’s easy to see why Foreman might believe he has a better chance at work with the Panthers than the Titans. To take it a step further, there have been rumors Carolina might be interested in trading the former No. 8 overall pick, which would be huge for the Texas product.
Assuming McCaffrey stays, let’s look at Foreman’s backup competition in Hubbard.
As someone who invested in Hubbard in fantasy football and watched a lot of him last season, I can tell you he’s no great shakes and Foreman can beat him out for work.
Granted, Hubbard, who averaged 3.6 yards per carry, was running behind a putrid offensive line, but he’s not some world-beater Foreman can’t surpass.
At the end of the day, it sucks that Foreman isn’t coming back, but this was something I expected. So, before anyone jumps to the conclusion that the Titans simply let Foreman walk, just know there could be a lot more to it than that.
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The Panthers aren’t even paying D’Onta Foreman yet and he’s already getting to work.
The ink hasn’t even dried on D’Onta Foreman’s new contract with the Carolina Panthers and . . . hey, wait!
There is no ink. And no there is no contract. Deals can’t even be made official until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, that seemingly hasn’t stopped the soon-to-be Panthers running back from getting to work right away.
Foreman, who is expected to sign a one-year, $2 million deal with Carolina out of free agency, just so happened to be a teammate of the quarterback the organization just so happens to be in an all-out pursuit for. So, he tried earning some of that $2 million on Tuesday night:
D‘Onta Foreman: already in recruiting mode for his old pal @deshaunwatson, less than a few hours (unofficially) into his Panthers career.
Now that’s dedication. pic.twitter.com/I89YOuzBUe
— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) March 16, 2022
The University of Texas product broke into the NFL alongside Deshaun Watson as part of Houston’s 2017 draft class. Watson was plucked off the board at the 12th overall spot, with Foreman getting picked up two rounds later at No. 89.
Their time together, however, was short-lived—as the big rusher was waived by the Texans prior to the start of the 2019 season. Apparently, Foreman wants a little more time with his old quarterback.
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Former Texans teammate and fellow cheeseburger bun to Deshaun Watson, RB D’Onta Foreman is expected to join the Panthers on a one-year deal.
The Carolina Panthers were expected to swoop in for the bargain deals on the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, and they’ve delivered on that expectation.
On Tuesday evening, Carolina agreed to terms with former Tennessee Titans running back D’Onta Foreman on a one-year deal reportedly worth $2 million.
Foreman, 25, played in nine games for the Titans last season—totaling 566 yards on 133 rushing attempts and adding 123 yards on just nine receptions while filling in for an injured Derrick Henry. Foreman’s most productive game was the Titans’ 34-3 win over the Miami Dolphins, where he rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown. The young back also ran for 66 yards on four carries in Tennessee’s Divisional Round loss to the Bengals in the postseason.
With the Panthers, Foreman will likely compete with Chuba Hubbard for the primary backup spot behind Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey was the subject of multiple headlines earlier Tuesday afternoon, when it was reported by Adam Caplan that the Buffalo Bills had shown strong interest in trading for the star before they signed J.D. McKissic. According to the reports, the Panthers did not want to move McCaffrey.
Foreman also just so happened to be teammates with Deshaun Watson in Houston. They even dressed up as opposite sides of a cheeseburger bun as rookies in 2017.
Carolina, obviously, is hoping to remake that burger themselves in 2022.
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Foreman is inking a one-year deal with the Panthers.
After reviving his career with the Tennessee Titans in 2021, running back D’Onta Foreman has found a new home in free agency.
According to multiple reports, Foreman will sign with the Carolina Panthers. Per Josina Anderson of USA TODAY, it’s a one-year deal worth $2 million.
A former third-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2017, Foreman’s career got off to a promising start, but it was derailed for a few years after tearing his Achilles late in his rookie campaign.
Foreman joined the Titans in 2021 in the wake of Derrick Henry’s injury and proceeded to outplay fellow running backs Adrian Peterson and Dontrell Hilliard, which landed him the starting role for Tennessee.
Foreman finished with 133 carries for 566 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and three scores in nine games. He also added four carries for 66 yards in the divisional round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Texas product won’t get the starting job as long as Christian McCaffrey is in Carolina, but with the former No. 8 overall pick’s injury history, Foreman has a good shot to see significant snaps.
As for Tennessee, this is a tough loss after how well Foreman played in 2021. The Titans, who recently cut Darrynton Evans, will be in the market for multiple backs this offseason.
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