The Carolina Panthers don’t have many key players entering free agency this spring. In fact, they’ll have the fewest amount of snaps from the 2022 campaign headed to the open market.
But there will some decisions to make, and the Next Gen Stats Analytics team is here to help.
The crew over at NFL.com recently named 14 unheralded free agents that should be kept by their teams. Among them is running D’Onta Foreman, who stepped right up to lead the backfield after the loss of a superstar.
“Carolina’s rough start to the season resulted in Matt Rhule’s firing and the decision to trade away former All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey,” the article reads. “But then, the offensive line coalesced, and the Panthers underwent a change in offensive identity that helped revive their season. From Week 7 (the team’s first game without McCaffrey) on, Foreman led all running backs with +8 first downs over expected. The veteran back gained +177 rushing yards over expected over that time frame, trailing only Derrick Henry (+193) in the NFL.”
It’s not difficult to see how important Foreman was when you look at the more traditional stats as well. The fifth-year back rushed for career-highs in yards (914), yards per attempt (4.5) and touchdowns (five).
Luckily for Carolina, the market should be particularly loaded with big-name rushers. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Miles Sanders—just to name a few—could all be free come March.
So Foreman, who’s coming off that career year, probably won’t be too hot of a commodity. But if the Panthers want to keep their powerful running game intact, they’ll have to show their guy a little love.
