We last broke down the Panthers’ run game in Week 3, and things have only gotten worse since then. Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert were injured against the Steelers, and DeAngelo Williams was reinjured in Baltimore. So the Panthers are down to a running back-by-committee for Sunday’s game with the Bears.

Fozzy Whittaker is back from a quad pull, and free agent Chris Ogbonnaya was added to the roster this week. But undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves may be in line for his first NFL start.

Reaves had 12 carries for 26 yards and caught three passes for 11 yards against the Ravens, and while we only have 15 pro touches to work with, we can still attempt to examine a couple things he did well last Sunday.

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Of his 45 snaps last week, many came from a shotgun formation. It makes sense to get a slashing runner like Reaves out in space. He also appears to have solid hands:

In the clip above, Reaves runs a simple hook route out of the backfield. He turns and presents his number to quarterback Cam Newton, who slings an easy completion. But Reaves doesn’t just execute the assignment, he also shows the capability to get something more out of it:

Reaves makes three positive things happen on this play.

First, at the actual catch point, he adjusts to a slightly off-target pass. Sometimes quarterbacks just dump the ball off in this area of the field without concentrating on perfect mechanics, so backs need to be able to make quick adjustments.

Second, Reaves sets up his defender in the open field with a sharp change of direction.

Third, Reaves lowers his shoulder and drives into a tackler. He probably won’t break many tackles in the open field, but here he finishes with while creating contact.

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Now let’s look at one of Reaves’ carries against the Ravens:

The play picks up just five yards on a 3rd and 7, but a look from above shows what Reaves did well:

The screengrab shows the moment when Reaves has to make a decision.

Most young backs would likely bounce outside, which oftentimes ends up as the wrong decision. It’s easy to understand why a guy would gravitate toward the perceived open space on the outside, but in this case, the linebacker is waiting to crash down.

So Reaves takes a different route:

So while it wasn’t a big gainer, or even a first down, it’s an example of Reaves using patience and vision. If he had bounced outside, he probably would have been dropped around the line of scrimmage. Instead, the rookie made the right call and made the most out of the play.

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Reaves may not be the next great NFL back, but in his limited experience, he has flashed some positive attributes, and he should be able to give the Panthers some quality snaps.

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