We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2024 season.
We’re officially 3 days away from the Carolina Panthers kicking off the 2024 NFL season against the New Orleans Saints. That’s right, we’re less than a week away, y’all! It will be their second consecutive road opener. Now it’s time for our annual roster countdown to highlight the players on the Panthers’ roster. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the player wearing the the No. 3 jersey—running back and return specialist Raheem Blackshear.
A third year running back could be seen as nearing the end of their career, but the 26 year old Blackshear can still be considered as near the beginning. The undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech has very low mileage as a running back and has mostly staked his claim to a roster spot as a kick returner.
New kick return rules make him all the more valuable, while uncertainty at the running back position behind Chuba Hubbard gives Blackshear an outside shot at still making a bigger name for himself.
He has appeared in 22 games in his two seasons to date, returning 28 kickoffs ( a high number when considering the number of touch backs) for 790 yards. He has only carried the ball 36 times in those two seasons for 117 yards and three touchdowns. In short, he has made the most of his limited opportunities on offense and deserves a shot to show more this season.
How about it Panthers fans, do you want to see more of Blackshear on offense? Scroll on down to the comments and share your thoughts with us!