Report: Panthers sign former Cleveland Browns wide receiver

The Carolina Panthers have signed former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter. It is unclear at this time how much he will make during the 2022 season.

Higgins has never played a game for any team besides the Browns in his six-year NFL career. The franchise drafted him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. In that span, the former Colorado State receiver has compiled 137 catches for 1,890 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has surpassed the 300-yard receiving mark in half of his pro seasons thus far.

In college, the former three-star recruit made an immediate impact his freshman season as he started all 14 games. He followed that up with 1,750 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns in his sophomore season, when he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in 2014. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound receiving posted another 1,000-yard campaign as a junior before declaring early for the NFL Draft.

Higgins played in 15 games this past season with the Browns, starting four as he finished with 24 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown. Cleveland ended the year with a record of 8-9 as it failed to make the playoffs.

The wide receiver is set to join a Panthers team coming off of a 5-12 finish in 2021. Carolina started the year off 3-0, but injuries and inconsistent play at quarterback limited the team’s potential as it went on a downward fall. Reports have indicated the team is aggressively pursuing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade, so Higgins could have a former Pro Bowler throwing to him. If that happens, it would certainly add intrigue to the Panthers next season.

The team already has one of the best running backs in the league in Christian McCaffrey. If Carolina can manage to keep him healthy and also get Watson, fans could be looking at a much better squad in 2022.