As we’ve said numerous times following his numerous injuries, Carolina Panthers star rusher Christian McCaffrey has boots that are nearly impossible to fill. But the team is going to try and do the best they can to close out the 2021 campaign.
This won’t make many, if any, waves—but the Panthers signed running back Jacques Patrick to their practice squad on Tuesday. This presumably fills an opening at the position on the team left behind by what’ll be the five-game absence of McCaffrey.
Patrick got his first taste of professional football in 2020 with the XFL. As a member of the Tampa Bay Vipers, the Orlando native and Florida State University Seminole ran for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns over 60 attempts.
Upon the suspension of the league, the 24-year-old then moved on to the NFL in April. Patrick picked up stops with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers between the last two seasons.
The 6-foot-3, 234-pounder will look to crack a group that presumably wants to run the ball more frequently following the departure of offensive coordinator Joe Brady. He joins Reggie Bonnafon and Spencer Brown as the current running backs on the Panthers’ practice squad.
Carolina also, in a corresponding move, released wide receiver Matt Cole and activated defensive end Darryl Johnson to the 53-man roster. Johnson, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, played in Weeks 3 and 4.
