Giovanni Ricci – Carolina Panthers FB
Although full-back is a position that’s becoming less important with every passing year across the league, the Carolina Panthers still count on this area to provide blocking assistance given how suspect their offensive line has been this season.
The decision to let Alex Armah walk in free agency earlier this year left some doubt as to who would step up and fill the void. But the coaching staff’s decision to switch Giovanni Ricci into this spot was a shrewd one.
Originally listed as a tight end, Ricci was on the practice squad after going undrafted in 2020 and has thrived with this transition. The Western Michigan product has flashed some real promise on a rotational role this season and is also making his presence felt as a special teams contributor to further enhance the player’s overall influence.
It wasn’t an easy task for Ricci to accomplish. And he is still growing into the role when it’s all said and done.
But considering he had little hope of making the 53-man roster as a tight end, it’s a gamble that paid off for the Ricci and the Panthers.
With Matt Rhule and Jeff Nixon now putting together a run-first approach despite not having Christian McCaffrey, Ricci might see his role increase in the not-too-distant future. How he performs will go a long way to determining just what his long-term aspirations in Carolina are going to look like.