Tag: Rashaad Penny

Dave Canales on Panthers’ crowded RB room: ‘We need all the backs’

Panthers HC Dave Canales believes having a crowded RB room is more of a need than a problem.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales wasn’t lying when he said he was excited to show how stubborn his offense can be in running the rock.

Canales spoke with reporters following his first outing of rookie minicamp on Friday morning. He was asked about his current expectations for 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, who is still healing up from a torn ACL.

While Brooks wasn’t able to participate in on-field work, Canales said it’s still important the rookie knows that intent of the offense is to “run the ball.” Canales also said that having a crowded running back room is more of a necessity than a problem.

“In my experience, we need all the backs,” he stated. “We need all of ’em to contribute at some point in the season. Knock on wood. But they get nicked, or it’s in a game and then he busts a shoestring and they’re switchin’ his shoes out to get him back ready and those other backs have to be ready to play. So for me, this is just adding another great player to really challenge our roster.”

Brooks is joining a depth chart that also includes 2023’s leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, who signed a four-year $25.4 million deal last offseason. Those three will soon be joined by recent free-agent addition Rashaad Penny, who Canales spoke a bit on as well.

“Rashaad’s another guy that can return kicks,” he said. “Bringing him in to really push the group, but also he knows the language. He knows how to run certain run types. So I think that as he gets his reps in there, the guys will be able to see the pace that we’re looking for and all those things—even from a pass protection standpoint.

“So I love having that experience—the same thing on defense with some guys who have been in our defensive scheme. It really does elevate the intelligence of the whole group.”

And that whole group, as Canales again expressed, is needed.

“I think it’s a great thing for us,” he replied when asked about the quantity of rushers. “And I think it’s our approach is to not let good players get out of here in terms of that room. As we come along and as we challenge them to compete, we’re gonna see some great effort out of the backs in this camp and I’m really excited about it.”

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Panthers announce agreement with RB Rashaad Penny

The Panthers officially announced they’ve reached an agreement with RB Rashaad Penny.

The Carolina Panthers are going to have to find another seat for their running back room.

On Monday, the team officially announced that they’ve agreed to terms on a deal with free-agent rusher Rashaad Penny. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was first with news of the move earlier this morning.

Penny was selected with the 27th overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. The San Diego State product ended up playing five seasons out west, where he crossed paths with current Panthers head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.

That five-year tenure resulted in 1,918 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries. Penny’s best campaign came in 2021, when he recorded career-highs in starts (six), carries (119), rushing yards (749) and rushing touchdowns (six) while leading the league in yards per attempt (6.3).

He spent this past season with the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he appeared in just three games.

Carolina will add Penny to a pretty crowded depth chart that also includes Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks.

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Is Miles Sanders on the outs with Panthers’ reported signing of Rashaad Penny?

Will the Panthers’ expected signing of Rashaad Penny push Miles Sanders out of the RB room?

The numbers game may have just caught up to Miles Sanders, and it almost has nothing to do with the three years and $22.8 million left on his contract.

We learned on Monday, per ESPN senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, that the Carolina Panthers are expected to sign running back Rashaad Penny following rookie minicamp this weekend. Penny would stand as the second notable addition to the team’s backfield over the past few weeks, as they also grabbed University of Texas standout Jonathon Brooks with the 46th overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft.

So, where does all of this leave Sanders? Well, the outlook for the 27-year-old rusher wasn’t particularly encouraging, even prior to these latest moves.

Sanders was one of Carolina’s major free-agent signings from last offseason, as he inked a four-year, $25.4 million pact off a career campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles. But that deal came behind the backing of general manager Scott Fitterer, head coach Frank Reich and running backs coach Duce Staley—none of whom have an office at Bank of America Stadium anymore.

The first year of that agreement ended up being the worst of Sanders’ pro tenure. He scored just one touchdown, hit lows in starts (five), attempts (129) and rushing yards (432) and averaged 3.3 yards per carry—the third-lowest in the NFL amongst all qualifying ball carriers.

Hopes of establishing himself as a do-it-all back, perhaps even as a lite version of Christian McCaffrey, were quickly dashed—as third-year rusher Chuba Hubbard effectively took over lead duties in Week 6. Hubbard wouldn’t let Sanders back in either, as he finished with a career-high 902 rushing yards in 2023.

2024 was likely to see Hubbard maintain the starting job over Sanders, and that thinking existed before Brooks and Penny would come along. Now, the organization has invested quite a bit into the former and may be bringing in the latter as his complement.

Not only did the Panthers draft Brooks as the first running back of the draft, but they moved up to do so. He won’t be treated as just another competitor on the depth chart.

The same might go for Penny—who brings a style Sanders, and even Hubbard, cannot. At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, the former Seattle Seahawk could very well be the occasional smash to Brooks’ dash and help Carolina finally get over the hump on those ill-fated short-yardage situations.

If the Panthers are rolling three-deep at the spot come September, Hubbard should be the favorite to stick over Sanders as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. While a trade or release of Sanders would create some considerable dead cap moving forward, general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis have shown they’re not afraid to take some financial lumps during the reconstruction of their roster.

Just ask Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Donte Jackson and Bradley Bozeman—who will combine for nearly $40 million of dead cap this season. Depending on the designation (pre- or post-June 1), Sanders would account for $10.4 million or $7.5 million in 2024 off a cut or $4.4 million or $1.4 million via trade.

But maybe, just maybe, Sanders isn’t through in Carolina. His saving grace could be the vision Morgan laid out for him after drafting Brooks two weekends ago.

“In terms of Miles, we love Miles,” he said when asked of the team is open to trading Sanders. “We see a big role for him. I think Dave [Canales] will tell you the same thing—we think really highly of Miles, we love Miles. He can do a lot for our offense. He’s versatile in the pass game and he’s a really good runner. So we’re excited about him as well.”

But if that’s just GM speak, Sanders will have to find another team that’s actually excited about him.

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Former Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny plans to sign with Panthers

So much for the reunion between Rashaad Penny and the Seahawks.

So much for the reunion between Rashaad Penny and the Seahawks.

According to a report by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Seattle’s former first-round pick plans to sign with the Panthers.

Penny was a first-round pick by Seattle in 2018 and spent last season with the Eagles, but saw very little playing time.

While Philadelphia’s backfield had more starpower, Penny still faces an uphill battle in Carolina as far as getting significant snaps. There are currently eight running backs on the Panthers’ roster, headlined by Jonathan Brooks out of Texas, considered by some to be the best running back prospect in the 2024 NFL draft class.

Seattle had Penny in for a visit recently and general manager John Schneider admitted that it was possible the team would re-sign him. For now, instead of Penny undrafted free agent George Holani should be bringing up the back end of the depth chart.

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Panthers reportedly expected to sign RB Rashaad Penny

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers are planning to sign RB Rashaad Penny.

Ok, now the running back room at Bank of America Stadium is about to get really crowded—especially with a 5-foot-11, 220-pounder set to join in.

According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, the Carolina Panthers are expected to sign free-agent rusher Rashaad Penny. The deal, per Fowler, likely won’t be official until after rookie minicamp—which takes place from May 10 to May 12.

Penny was selected with the 27th overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks, who were employing current Panthers head coach Dave Canales as their quarterbacks coach at the time. The San Diego State back went on to spend his first five pro seasons there, running for 1,918 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries.

He then inked a one-year pact with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2023 campaign. Penny would appear in just three games, totaling 33 yards on 11 rushes.

Carolina’s depth chart at the position already includes Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Jonathon Brooks—whom the team traded up to select with the 46th overall pick of the 2024 draft a little over a week ago.

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Former Eagles RB Rashaad Penny to sign with Panthers

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Rashaad Penny is signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers

The Panthers continue to reshape their roster and have added another former Eagle to the running back room.

Jeremy Fowler reports Rashaad Penny is planning to sign a one-year deal.

Penny signed a one-year deal with the Eagles last offseason but spent most of the season inactive after D’Andre Swift was acquired via trade.

Penny finished the season with 11 carries for 33 yards in three regular-season games, adding one catch for five yards.

Penny entered the season as a potential Pro Bowl candidate, but he spent the year as the Eagles’ fourth running back and was a healthy scratch in all but three games.

John Schneider says it’s possible Seahawks will reunite with Rashaad Penny

During the draft general manager John Schneider told the media that it’s possible the team will bring back Rashaad Penny.

If you were paying close attention during the 2024 NFL draft, you may have noticed that the Seahawks did not use one of their picks on a running back. No surer sign has there been that the Pete Carroll era is officially over with.

Heading into the offseason program, Seattle had three running backs on the roster with Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh. They also just added a couple of undrafted free agents at this spot in Boise State’s George Holani and NDSU’s Tamerik Williams. If there’s room for another running back, the Seahawks may look to a familiar face to fill that void.

During the draft general manager John Schneider told the media that it’s possible the team will sign Rashaad Penny. If he signs, Penny would likely be the No. 4 running back on the depth chart behind Walker, Charbonnet and McIntosh.

Penny was a first-round pick by Seattle in 2018, and his first few years in the NFL were a bust as injuries limited his effectiveness. In his first three seasons, he managed just five touchdowns and about 800 yards on the ground.

However, Penny finally found his stride down the stretch of the 2021 season, when he was by far the most explosive and productive running back in the entire league. Penny got off to a strong start in the first several games of 2022, but then he suffered another injury after just five weeks.

Last season Penny was with the Eagles but never saw much time on the field, totaling just 11 carries on 38 total snaps.

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Seahawks hosted free agent RB Rashaad Penny for a visit

According to a report by Howard Balzer, Seattle reported a visit with former running back Rashaad Penny.

The Seahawks are mostly set at the running back position heading into the 2024 NFL draft. It’s unlikely we will see the team pick one, as they’ve aready invested two second-round picks at that spot in the last two drafts and this is a pretty weak class at running back. If they are going to replace DeeJay Dallas, odds are they will sign a veteran. They might have their eye on a familiar one, too.

According to a report by Howard Balzer, Seattle reported a visit with former running back Rashaad Penny.

A first-round pick by the Seahawks back in 2018, Penny has been one of the game’s most boom-or-bust playmakers ever since. With the exception of a sensational run at the end of the 2021 season and a strong start to 2022, Penny has mostly not been able to stay healthy and live up to his potential at this level.

Last season Penny signed with the Eagles where we thought he might thrive in their strong run game. However, he never really worked his way into their rotation and wound up only playing three games, totaling just 33 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

If Penny signs he might project as the fourth running back on the depth chart beneath Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh.

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Where do the Eagles rank in spending at each position after first wave of free agency?

We’re looking at where the Philadelphia Eagles rank in positional spending at each position after the first wave of NFL free agency

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. 

Philadelphia currently has about  $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.  The offensive line and edge rusher positions carry the most significant cap space.

Overall positional spending has changed tremendously since Jalen Hurts signed a massive five-year, $255 million contract extension last spring.

This makes him among the four highest-paid players on average in NFL history.

The Eagles will again be a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC and have one of the most talented rosters despite being 17th in average positional spending.

Thanks to Over The Cap, here’s where Philadelphia sits in positional spending on both sides of the ball ahead of the season opener.