Carolina Panthers: Cameron Artis-Payne poised to make strides

Carolina Panthers running back Cameron Artis-Payne is in the perfect position to make great strides in 2016.

The Carolina Panthers are a team that is built behind the power run. Even before Coach Ron Rivera made his way to the Charlotte organization, this team has leaned on running backs like Stephen Davis, DeAngelo Williams and Brad Hoover to push the ball forward. Jonathan Stewart is the current leader of the Panthers’ run attack, but 2016 has the potential to be the year that Cameron Artis-Payne emerges as a face for the future.

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Right now, the running game is clearly in Stewart’s hands. He’s coming off of a good season in 2015 where he put together 989 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. These are important numbers and a major part of why the Panthers’ had one of the strongest running attacks in the league. However, there are reasons to point to why Artis-Payne is in a coveted position that can immediately bolster his value to this team.

Injuries have long hampered Stewart’s career. While the tailback position in one that takes a lot of punishment throughout the year, Stewart hasn’t completed a full 16 game season since 2011, when he was 24 years old. In fact, in eight years of NFL play, Stewart has only participated in all 16 games in three seasons. This is an important fact to realize when a team builds much of their offense around their ability to move the ball on the ground.

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Artis-Payne has shown the ability to be able to hold the requirements of being a lead running back on his shoulders. His rookie season started off very slowly but his final three performances of the year allowed him to end the season with 183 yards on 45 attempts but more importantly, 4.1 yards per rush. Carolina consistently earns four plus yards per attempt and having another tailback that can produce similar results gives them another weapon in their back pocket.

Even at Auburn, Artis-Payne has shown that he’s willing to take over the helm as the main running back when his number is called. In 2014 he took over as the main rusher for the Tigers and delivered big with nine games of at least 100 yards and in the other four he earned at least 63 yards.

With Carolina he wouldn’t be expected to carry as much of the load, as the Panthers use a running committee that includes Stewart, Cam Newton, Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker. But knowing they have another player who has shown a strong history of production creates a sense of stability within this unit.

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The Carolina Panthers have a streak of 100-yard rushing games that goes back to 2014. Such consistency is vital to how well the offense functions game in and game out.

While Jonathan Stewart is the go to guy for much of those responsibilities; Cameron Artis-Payne needs to be ready to step up in 2016 because there’s a major opportunity for his number to be called much more frequently. The NFL is a “next man up” type of league and Artis-Payne may be the guy needed to fill in a hole.