The Panthers brought back linebacker Tae Davis, who is another important member of the special team.
Due to a spate of injuries at the position, the 27-year-old Davis joined the Panthers in November of last year, giving them the depth they needed.
Davis joined the Giants as an undrafted rookie out of Chattanooga and quickly made an impression on the team. Prior to signing with the Panthers, he was a member of the Browns, Texans, Raiders, Browns again, and Falcons.
In eight games last season, he recorded five special teams tackles (tied for third on the team) and established himself as a dependable kicker. Having that region under control will be crucial, especially with the recent modifications to kickoff rules.
It’s a question that has dominated the NFL in recent years, sparking endless debate, comparisons of history versus probability, and sending ripple effects through contract negotiations and draft boards.
For the Panthers, however, it’s “non-negotiable.”
Since 2014, there have been 12 backs drafted in the first round, and six in the top ten. There was one of the latter as recently as last year, when Texas running back Bijan Robinson was drafted at No. 8 overall by the Falcons. But through the first day of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday, there wasn’t a single running back’s name called. One wouldn’t come off the board until midway through the second round, on Day 2, when the Panthers selected Texas back Jonathon Brooks, at No. 46 overall.
The league might not see value. But the Panthers saw 1,139 rushing yards, a 6.1-yard-per-carry average, 10 rushing touchdowns, and they saw the future.
Heading into the draft, Panthers head coach Dave Canales was aware of the narrative the league has set around running backs, and the opportunity that created for them.
“I think we do have to just kind of trust, you know, what does the league say,” Canales said Friday night after the draft. “Where does everybody see the value of the running back; and we have to play off of that too and just be aware of it.”
While cognizant of the changing value around backs, Canales and his staff, along with general manager Dan Morgan, have to weigh it against what’s most valuable to this Panthers team, and it’s clear that the running game matters here.
Perhaps there’s nothing that illustrates the Panthers value of a running back more than the fact the club drafted the first one off the board this year, while already having a room with two guys with established credentials: Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
Hubbard is coming off of a year with 238 carries and 902 yards, with an additional 39 receptions for 233 yards. Sanders, in his first year in Carolina after four in Philadelphia, had 129 carries for 432 yards, but is just one year removed from a season that eclipsed the thousand-yard mark (1,269 yards on 259 carries).
Brooks knows he can learn from the two, saying Friday, “those are two good running backs for me to go in there and learn off of, you know, they’ve been in the league for some years.”
“We got a really good running back room right now and when Dave and I took this job, we said that we were going to create competition in every position group,” Morgan said. “It just so happened, you know, Jonathon was there. We took the opportunity to draft him, and I think it’s going to be a really competitive group and I’m excited to see them all compete during training camp and OTAs and it’s going to be fun.”
And for Canales, an extra running back is necessary for his expanded playbook.
“Every team that I’ve been on, we use all of our running backs at different points because it’s just such a violent position,” he said. “We look for those players who can handle that, but also just knowing we have good solid players because we are going to run the ball and it’s going to be a non-negotiable for us.”
