Fowler: Rashaad Penny planning to sign with Panthers

What It Means

Penny spent most of the last season on the Philadelphia Eagles' bench, but could get a chance for more playing time with the Panthers with their murky running back situation.

The Panthers' running back room includes Miles Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, and now second round rookie Jonathon Brooks, who is recovering from knee surgery. The team benched Sanders in favor of Hubbard during the 2023 season, but did not seem especially committed to Hubbard following the year. While Brooks should be expected to be their top rusher when he is available, he suffered a torn ACL last November and may not be ready by Week 1.

That gives Penny an actual chance of earning work with the Panthers come Week 1. When we last saw him handle a legitimate workload, he was averaging 6.1 yards per carry for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. If he still has that kind of juice, he could add a much-needed explosive element to Carolina's offense while they wait for Brooks to recover.