5 Carolina Panthers playing for a 2022 roster spot in the last 4 games
By Dean Jones
Ameer Abdullah – Carolina Panthers RB
The Carolina Panthers are looking to run the football more after Matt Rhule decided to fire Joe Brady – something the former offensive coordinator clearly didn’t believe in all that much without Christian McCaffrey carrying the load.
Whether this comes off over the next month given the standard of opposition is another matter. It would be a surprise if the Panthers weren’t playing from behind a lot, which almost certainly takes running plays out of the equation depending on how the scoreboard is looking at any given time.
Firing Brady was one last desperate attempt by Rhule to turn things around. But couple this with McCaffrey going on season-ending injured/reserve and a real opportunity opened up for Ameer Abdullah to earn a new deal beyond the current campaign.
Much will depend on how Abdullah performs, obviously.
The former second-round pick has demonstrated some nice explosiveness since being scooped up after his release from the Minnesota Vikings. But splitting carries with rookie Chuba Hubbard means he’ll have to maximize every touch moving forward in pursuit of convincing the coaching staff to offer the player a new deal.
Abdullah has the ball in his court, so to speak. It’s also vital the Panthers take some heat off McCaffrey next season and beyond, which means three running backs on the active roster almost every week.