Carolina Panthers: Elijah Holyfield continues wild ride

Holyfield has been named to the Carolina Panthers practice squad.

In what continues to be a great story, the Carolina Panthers signed running back Elijah Holyfield to the practice squad on Tuesday. This comes after he was cut by the team initially.

Holyfield had an impressive preseason, and showed he could run the ball with efficiency and determination. The Carolina Panthers have needed running back depth to help out Christian McCaffrey, and Holyfield certainly showed that he could be the guy to provide that extra spark.

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Following the NFL Draft in April, he was nothing more than an afterthought. The Carolina Panthers signed the undrafted running back out of Georgia, and to be honest I really did not know what to expect from him. I thought he would maybe be able to catch on and play well in the preseason to earn a spot with another NFL team. Given the odds of being an undrafted free agent and making a team, I didn’t think he would actually make an impact when he initially signed.

However, it became evident that when he signed, he was able to show his work ethic. He would stay after minicamp practices and work on his skills. Then, he had the difficult task of showing what he was made of during the preseason. Trying to separate yourself from a bunch of NFL hopefuls is probably a daunting task. Nevertheless, he persevered and continued to show that same work ethic.

During the preseason, he rushed the ball 20 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. Averaging 3.9 yards per carry, he showed his toughness as a runner. Now, he will look to carry that with him into the regular season. Even if his job is just putting together solid outings for the first-team offense, it is certainly a step towards realizing his NFL dream. Holyfield himself is just happy that the process of roster cuts is over.

"“It’s something I’ve never been through before, so it was challenging,” Holyfield said of the roster finalization process. “I’m just happy to be back and I’m glad that part is over. I’m just going to try to prove myself and hopefully move back up.”"

I am happy for him. He worked really hard to make his dream a reality, and he’s done that. Even if he is on the practice squad for now, there is the opportunity for him to advance up the ladder with hard work and dedication. He is certainly farther along than many NFL hopefuls, and he has a lot to be proud of.

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