Denver Broncos: Which team is Royce Freeman going to next?
The days of Royce Freeman running in the Denver Broncos backfield are over, but the 25-year old running back has a chance to continue his playing career.
The Broncos waived Freeman on Wednesday after he initially made the team’s 53-man roster as the No. 4 running back behind Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams and Mike Boone. The Broncos instead decided to grab Nate McCrary off waivers, choosing to let Freeman walk.
The career for Freeman in Denver was disappointing, to say the least, but one team wasted no time jumping on the waiver wire to add him to its depth chart.
The Carolina Panthers.
This could actually be a great spot for Freeman too. The Panthers waived running back Trenton Cannon to make room for Freeman on the roster. He has a chance to be an immediate impact player for the team as well.
Royce Freeman could see a lot of playing time in Carolina
The Panthers of course have Christian McCaffrey, one of the best running backs in the league, but during his tenure there, he has had some injury troubles, meaning a steady backup could be necessary. McCaffrey is also not the biggest guy, so having another option to help take the load off of him would be ideal.
More from Predominantly Orange
- Denver Broncos need to prioritize having CEO head coach
- Broncos chances of landing Sean Payton dwindling, but not gone
- Denver Broncos dream coaching staff for DeMeco Ryans
- Denver Broncos: “Sleeper” David Shaw checks every box
- The Broncos’ coaching search likely has not gone to plan
Freeman could be that guy.
The only other running backs on the roster are Chuba Hubbard, a rookie, and Giovanni Ricci, an undrafted free agent last season who is more of a fullback.
Freeman has not carried the ball more than 132 times in any of his three seasons so he has a lot of tread left on his tires to come in and spell McCaffrey but he also has the experience to be a mentor to the young and promising Hubbard.
Freeman can catch the ball out of the backfield, as evidenced by his 43 receptions in 2019. This could also be an asset for the Panthers, who throw to the running back often due to McCaffrey’s prowess in the regard.
Freeman likely could not have asked for a much better scenario than the one he just got.