We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2022 season.
We’re 41 days away from the Panthers 2022 season opener, so that means today’s countdown piece is devoted to No. 41 on the roster — running back Spencer Brown.
Brown (6’0, 220) had a stellar career at UAB from 2017-2020 where he set school records with 4,011 rushing yards and 41 rushing touchdowns. His freshman and sophomore seasons were especially remarkable. In his first year at UAB he rushed for 1,329 yards (5.3 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. He followed that up as a sophomore with 1,227 yards (4.5 YPC) and a school record 16 touchdowns. In 2019 his carries dropped substantially and he rushed for 566 yards (3.6 YPC) and in the COVID-plagued 2020 he bounced back for 889 yards (4.8 YPC).
His Relative Athletic Score of 4.90 coming out of college wasn’t great and he didn’t face stellar competition at UAB, so he went undrafted.
He was then signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. He did get called up during Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints and played one special teams snap, his only regular season action of the year. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers in 2022.
Brown had a pretty good showing during the 2021 preseason, for what that’s worth. He carried the ball in all three of the Panthers preseason games and totaled 24 carries for 84 yards (3.5 YPC) and a touchdown. His best preseason effort came against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he ran 11 times for 52 yards and a score. You can see those highlights here, including a really nice 20-yard touchdown run.
The website Ourlads currently has Brown as the No. 4 running back on the Panthers depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey, Chuba Hubbard, and D’Onta Foreman. It’s highly unlikely Spencer can overtake any of these guys on the depth chart, so he’s probably looking at another season on the practice squad in 2022 with the possibility of a call-up to the 53-man roster if (or when) injuries occur.
With a strong camp and another decent preseason, Spencer Brown could keep his UDFA dream alive for at least another season.