4 impending Panthers free agents who haven’t helped themselves in 2022

Rashard Higgins – Carolina Panthers WR

The case surrounding Rashard Higgins is a curious one. His arrival in free agency brought around quiet optimism about potentially making an impact on the wide receiver rotation, with the arrival of former Cleveland Browns teammate Baker Mayfield something else that surged his stock before the Carolina Panthers descended on Spartanburg for their annual training camp.

Higgins caught the eye in practice with some impressive catches. But head coach Matt Rhule was less than pleased with the supposed showboating that came with this and the Colorado State product fell out of favor quickly.

Despite an encouraging start to life in Carolina, the wideout was seldom seen on offense and has been a healthy scratch more often than not. This is more concerning when one considers how little the Panthers were getting from the likes of Terrace Marshall Jr., Robbie Anderson, and Shi Smith early in the campaign.

The trade for Laviska Shenault Jr. put Higgins further down the pecking order. He’s been allocated just six snaps on offense this season with zero targets, which is deeply disappointing considering the hopes surrounding the player before competitive action began.

Higgins clearly hasn’t shown enough in practice to justify increased involvement. When the time comes to decide who stays or goes before free agency, this should be a simple choice for those in power.