Panthers sign former Eagle running back Barner to deal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » The Carolina Panthers have signed free-agent running back Kenjon Barner from the Eagles to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not available Friday. Barner is expected to compete as a thirddown back and returner. A day earlier, the Panthers placed third-down back Fozzy Whittaker on injured reserve with a knee injury.
The 29-year-old Barner was drafted by Carolina in the sixth round in 2013 draft. He spent one season with the Panthers before being traded to the Eagles in 2014.
Barner played in 13 games with one start last season with the Super Bowl champions. He ran for 57 yards on 16 attempts with one touchdown.
Rosen says focus is all football
TEMPE, ARIZ. » Josh Rosen jogged onto the field as an Arizona Cardinal for the first time on Friday and took a moment to reflect.
“When I stepped in the huddle,” the young quarterback said, “I kind of looked at the guys and I’m like, ‘This is pretty cool.”’
Rosen was the center of attention, as usual, on the first day of Cardinals rookie minicamp, starting out slowly but finishing with a crisp performance capped by a long TD pass to fellow rookie and camp roommate Christian Kirk.
Although he may have to wait awhile, Rosen is the Cardinals’ quarterback of the future after the team traded up five spots to take him No. 10 overall in the draft. He’s already signed his contract with Arizona.
After Friday’s workout, he talked about how he’s approaching his new job and even touched on how he deals with being such a lightning rod for criticism — mainly centering on his personality and often from people who don’t really know him.
“You ignore it,” Rosen said. “It’s only hard if you make it hard. If you’re Googling your name every other day and trying to like reach out to people, yeah, you can make it harder on yourself. But as far as I know if you keep your phone limited to messages and calls and you don’t read too much. The only thing that matters are the guys in the building and that’s what I’m trying to keep it at right now.”
He said he’s had a couple of conversations with Larry Fitzgerald, the 14-year veteran who is among the most-admired players in the game for his behavior on and off the field.