Even after a trio of moves to their practice squad, the Carolina Panthers weren’t done tweaking the roster on Thursday.
Late this afternoon, the team announced they have claimed running Royce Freeman off waivers from the Denver Broncos. The fourth-year rusher was cut from the Broncos on Wednesday to make room for another running back addition in Nate McCrary.
A third-round pick in the 2018 draft out of the University of Oregon, Freeman pieced together an impressive collegiate career with 5,621 yards and 60 touchdowns on 947 attempts through his four years as a Duck. He’d go on to spend three campaigns in Denver, amassing 1,187 yards and eight scores on 297 carries.
Freeman now joins a running back room that already rosters Christian McCaffrey and Chuba Hubbard. We would include Trenton Cannon in there, but he, surprisingly, was waived in favor of Freeman.
Cannon had seemingly become a staff favorite in Carolina, particularly this summer for his positional flexibility as a returner and pass catcher. Had he, though, been dealing with a lower-body injury of late.
At six-foot, 238-pounds, Freeman could bring an element of power to the Panthers’ rushing attack if he sticks on. He’s also an above-average receiver out of the backfield, a trait also shared by his new mates in McCaffrey and Hubbard.
