Carolina Panthers: Fozzy Whittaker injury creates opening on roster

Fozzy Whittaker suffered a serious injury that creates a big opening in the running and special teams units for the Carolina Panthers.

Tough news hit the Carolina Panthers when Fozzy Whittaker tore his ACL during non-contact drills. With that injury coming at a time in which the team is making an effort to secure depth in its running attack, it will be interesting to see what steps are taken next.

Whittaker has spent the last four seasons as a member of the Panthers running game. While he only started two games during that run, he contributed frequently as a third-down option for the team. During that time he’s put together 536 rushing yards on 121 carries, 397 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

This was the last year of a current two-year deal. Whittaker was expected to remain the main third-down option and keep his place on the special teams unit, where he has also contributed in recent years.

This injury came two days after the Panthers signed former Denver Broncos running back, C.J. Anderson. Anderson was expected to be in competition with Cameron Artis-Payne to backup Christian McCaffrey. With Whittaker suffering this injury, it’s now apparent that both Anderson and Artis-Payne have a place within the top fold of the running attack.

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Elijah Hood, Kenjon Barner and Reggie Bonnafon are three men that the Panthers have brought in during the last few weeks to help bolster the roster of tailbacks.

Hood was waived by the Oakland Raiders and he is coming back to North Carolina where he played for the Tar Heels. The seventh-round draft pick only appeared in one game during his rookie season. Barner is coming over with much more experience as he played the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was a part of the Super Bowl winning unit. Barner was drafted by Carolina back in 2013 where he played in eight games. As an Eagle, he had 310 yards on 77 attempts with three touchdowns.

Running the ball has long been one of the main strengths of the Carolina Panthers in recent years. They’ve consistently been among the top teams in the league when moving the ball on the ground. Even though the team has remained amongst the top of the league in the last few years, the running attack hasn’t been as powerful as the days of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. P

lus, factoring in the heavy shots that teams are delivering to Cam Newton, it’s clear that the Panthers are moving toward a strategy that requires less use of Newton’s legs and relying on more from the running backs on the roster.

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Fozzy Whittaker has been a central piece on the Panthers team because he helped fill a void on the offense and in the special teams unit. Being placed on the injured reserve creates a big hole in the offensive unit. Carolina has taken multiple steps to help fill those holes in recent weeks as Anderson, Hood and Barner all stand poised to help fill in where Whittaker will be missed. In order for the Panthers to reach a semblance of success this season, the run game needs to be intact.

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