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Carolina Panthers: Ray-Ray McCloud set to be team’s returning weapon

By Danny Jaillet

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 16: Ray-Ray McCloud #14 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball against Jordan Kunaszyk #43 of the Carolina Panthers in the second half during the preseason game at Bank of America Stadium on August 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 16: Ray-Ray McCloud #14 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball against Jordan Kunaszyk #43 of the Carolina Panthers in the second half during the preseason game at Bank of America Stadium on August 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Panthers will have a familiar face at kick returner.

It’s always good to see former faces in the Carolina Panthers locker room. Maybe this particular name is not familiar in the professional ranks, but many Carolina Panthers fans will recognize this player from the college football world. Wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud is coming to Carolina, and the Panthers already have a specific role for him.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said on Monday that the team will primarily use him as a kick returner. Given his speed, that seems like the perfect role for him. His best body of work came during his senior season at Clemson. He returned 25 points for 303 yards. Some of you may remember his dazzling return against North Carolina State back in 2017. Some of you may want to forget that. In that case, sorry I brought it up.

In any event, it will be nice for him to have a specific role. The Carolina Panthers have a ton of receivers, but I would hate to have one of the main guys get injured or fatigued on kick returns. Plus, having one guy who is going to return kicks will allow him to work on his craft. Aside from just what this means to the individual player, having a solid kick returner is crucial. Especially in today’s National Football League where offense rules the day, having a good kick returner that can put you in solid field position is certainly ideal.

McCloud just wants to be able to contribute to Carolina. He seems to be willing to take on any type of role. That’s the type of mentality that will get you places in the National Football League. He was a Swiss Army knife of sorts at Clemson, and now he looks to continue that role with Carolina.

"“He’s a guy that we knew a little bit about,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “We liked him coming into the draft, just didn’t get an opportunity to get him here. We saw some things that he did through training camp and the games he played, and we just feel that he’s someone that can come in and contribute.”"

He will certainly get a chance to contribute. The position of kick returner just got a major upgrade. Now, that will add another dimension to the Carolina Panthers arsenal. If they want to be able to compete with the best in the NFL, then they need to explore as many areas as possible.

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