The Carolina Panthers announced Monday that they have waived veteran running back C.J. Anderson.
Anderson played in all nine games for the Panthers this season, and had one start. He totaled 104 rushing yards on 24 carries and had one reception for 24 yards and touchdowns.
However, his playing time had been shrinking lately. Anderson had two carries for minus-1 yard in Thursday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and had just one carry for 1 yard in the Nov. 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 27-year-old Anderson is in his sixth NFL season.
“When we signed C.J. in the spring, he saw a bigger role than he has had, and honestly, at the time, so did we,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “But Christian McCaffrey has taken so much of the offense and so much of the plays, we just made the decision that this was the best thing for all parties involved.”
Anderson sent a farewell message on his Twitter account: “No love lost. Thank you Carolina. Grind time.”
Anderson signed with the Panthers as a free agent in May after five seasons (2013-17) with the Denver Broncos.
He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, and he rushed for a career-high 1,007 yards for the Broncos last season, when he started all 16 games. But the Broncos released Anderson in April.
For his career, Anderson has 717 carries for 3,155 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has totaled 104 receptions for 883 yards and five touchdowns.
