Charlotte native, former Tar Heel Elijah Hood signs 1-year deal with Panthers

The Carolina Panthers’ situation at running back is still to be determined, but Elijah Hood will be part of it.

Carolina signed Hood to a one-year deal Monday, keeping him in Charlotte through the 2019 season.

The 2017 seventh-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders joined the Panthers in May 2018 after he was waived by the Raiders. However, he missed the 2018 season after tearing his ACL in the final game of the preseason. The 5-foot-11, 230 pound Hood looks to return from injury and join a backfield that needs restructuring this offseason.

“Obviously it’s a blessing. I’m excited,” Hood told the team’s website. “I thank God that I’ll get the opportunity to keep playing here.”

Hood was set to become an exclusive rights free agent — and he wasn’t the only Panthers running back seeking a new deal. Cameron Artis-Payne, Travaris Cadet, Fozzy Whitaker and Kenyon Barner could each become unrestricted free agents on March 13 if they aren’t re-signed.

The signing gives the Panthers a true Carolina native. He played high school football at Charlotte Catholic before playing at North Carolina. He played in one game with the Raiders before spending the rest of the season on the practice squad, but ran for 2,580 yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons in Chapel Hill.

This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 1:13 PM.