Carolina Panthers worked out Chris Ogbonnaya
The Carolina Panthers are looking for help at the running back position with Jonathan Stewart nursing yet another injury, DeAngelo Williams only just recovered from one, Fozzy Whittaker still sidelined, and ace fullback Mike Tolbert on the short-term injured reserve with a hairline fracture. It’s clear that the Panthers need depth at the position due to all of these injuries, with Williams and depth backup Darrin Reaves serving as the only healthy RBs currently on the roster.
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Per a source close to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Panthers tried out former Cleveland Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya, who would join Whittaker as former Browns backup RBs on the Panthers roster. It’s unclear how interested the Panthers are in Ogbonnaya, but you’d think that he makes sense given how desperate the Panthers should be for depth there.
Ogbonnaya isn’t an impressive rusher and was cut out of training camp after clearly being an odd-man out among a very deep stable of talented backs in Cleveland, so it’s more telling that nobody has picked him up to this point. He put up some decent numbers last season and can catch passes, so he deserves a place on a 53-man roster. I think his pass-catching ability is a nice bonus for the Panthers, but we’ll see if Ron Rivera and the organization are interested in turning a tryout into a contract offer.