OFFICIAL: Panthers Sign RB Rodney Smith to Practice Squad

Carolina adds to the running back room

With a bit of a dinged up backfield, the Carolina Panthers made the decision to sign free agent running back Rodney Smith to the team's practice squad. This move comes in wake to the injury of Reggie Bonnafon (ankle) who went down vs Arizona over a week ago and will likely miss multiple weeks. 

Smith originally signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft, but was cut early in training camp.

The former Minnesota star running back tallied 4,125 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in his six-year career with the Gophers. Smith has battled numerous injuries throughout his career, which probably attributed to him not getting selected in the draft.

This past week, the Panthers added former Monmouth running back Pete Guerrerio to the practice squad, but did not activate him for the game vs Atlanta. Carolina only had two running backs active for this past Sunday's game - Mike Davis & Trenton Cannon.

With Bonnafon and McCaffrey still on the shelf, one would imagine that at some point, Carolina will activate either Guerrerio or Smith, but they may just ride with the duo of Davis and Cannon until McCaffrey gets back to the field. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel has received a few touches in the backfield as well, so two running backs plus Samuel may be enough for the time being.

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