C.J. Anderson was signed by the Panthers back in May 2018. He was later released the following November because of his limited production with the team at the time. Panthers fans entered the season expecting Anderson and NFL all-pro running back Christian McCaffrey to be a “one-two punch” in the Panthers running game. However, that didn’t really occur thanks to McCaffrey’s emergence as the Panthers’ feature back.
The veteran running back rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown on 24 total carries in nine weeks with the Panthers before he was released.
That’s a reasonable 4.3 yards per carry, so his release wasn’t entirely his fault. The Panthers simply didn’t use him due to the emergence of McCaffrey, who recorded 1098 rushing yards and 867 receiving yards this season.
The Los Angeles Rams signed Anderson in December as a solid backup to first team NFL All-Pro Todd Gurley.
He exceeded everyone’s expectations in his expanded role in last night’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Anderson rumbled through the Cowboys defense as he led the Rams in rushing with 123 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries. This lead many Panthers fans to suspect the decision to release Anderson. What do you guys think?