Carolina Panthers sign former Washington, Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson
The Carolina Panthers announced Wednesday they have signed rookie running back Dillon Johnson. An undrafted player out of Washington, he was in training camp with the Tennessee Titans up until last week.
The signing of Johnson comes after running back Rashaad Penny announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday. Carolina waived receiver Daewood Davis to make room for the acquisition.
Johnson helped lead the Huskies to the College Football Playoff Championship Game this past season after rushing for a career-high 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns. It was the only season he played with Washington after spending the first three years of his college career at Mississippi State.
Dillon Johnson joins a Panthers running back room that includes Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Brooks, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear. Carolina finished last season with an NFL-worst 2-15 record but will hope for better results in 2024.
Hubbard led the Panthers with 902 yards rushing and five touchdowns this past season while Sanders was second with 432 yards and a score. This seems like a group that Johnson could potentially break through for some carries with in 2024.
Carolina kicks off the preseason on Aug. 8 against the New England Patriots.
Bryce Young reveals what’s different in Jonathan Mingo in 2024
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are looking to explode onto the scene in 2024, following a disastrous campaign last season.
To say the quarterback’s rookie season didn’t go as planned would be putting it lightly. Now, the Panthers have started fresh, bringing in Dave Canales to help cultivate a winning culture, along with getting the most out of Young and the rest of the Panthers offense.
One of Carolina’s young players, aside from Young, who seems like they’ll benefit is sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. He’ll be relied upon to help rebuild the team’s offense, and Young spoke glowingly about the pass catcher earlier this week.
“I think just him having more confidence in what he’s doing,” Young said, speaking with reporters regarding the sophomore wide receiver. “He was very confident last year, and someone who you could tell is sure, but just, when you have that experience, you know, that extra year, you can go out, you can see him playing more freely.
“Even though it’s a new system, you never think about how he understands the system. He’s running routes really free. Doing a great job, on and off coverage. Having a plan with stuff. He’s made some really, big time catches, so I think just embracing where he is, embracing his position.”