Raheem Blackshear heads home to Philadelphia with his Pro Bowl stock never higher
On a normal Sunday, whether it be in Charlotte or Tampa Bay or Atlanta, Raheem Blackshear requests just one ticket so his fiancé can watch him play.
This Sunday, though, will be different.
“I’ve got about 65 people coming,” Blackshear said, his smile poking out after a practice earlier this week.
A lot of things make this weekend’s matchup special between the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles in Philly. But it’s tough to imagine this game meaning more to anyone besides Blackshear — the Philadelphia native and current Carolina Panthers kick returner who long ago dreamed of scampering on Lincoln Financial Field’s grass.
“It’s my first time ever playing in the Linc,” Blackshear said. “So it’ll be awesome.”
What makes Sunday even more special?
Blackshear is at the top of his game.
And his Pro Bowl stock reflects that.
On NFL.com, the site where fans can notch their votes for Pro Bowl, Blackshear is the name voters first see. His season-long stats validate the positioning. He has 27 kickoff returns for 679 yards (25.1 average) and 16 punt returns for 144 yards (9.0) with three fair catches. Among players with at least 15 kick returns in 2024, Blackshear ranks seventh in return average — and also has the second-most total kick return yards in the league, only behind KaVontae Turpin’s 762 yards for the Dallas Cowboys.
As of Monday, Blackshear is third in voting among return specialists. He’s the only Panther to be in the Top 10 for their position group. Player selections are determined by the votes of fans, players and coaches — with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward determining each conference’s roster.
The Panthers have only sent one player to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown was Carolina’s sole representative last year (after an initial snub); the year before, outside linebacker Brian Burns was the organization’s only Pro Bowler.
“I really hope I get the chance to go,” Blackshear said of the Pro Bowl. He then mentioned another season goal of his, which he mentioned at training camp: “I really just want to break one to the end zone so bad. I want an opportunity to take one to the house. But you know, I thank everyone for voting for me. And I thank my teammates for everything they’re doing.”
Raheem Blackshear fits perfectly with new return game
Ask any coach in the Panthers’ locker room, and they’ll be thanking him. Blackshear is a reserve running back and has yet to take a handoff or catch a pass on offense. But it’s undeniable he’s hungry to make plays on special teams.
“I think the biggest thing that I can say about Raheem is just his willingness to do whatever it takes to help the Panthers win,” head coach Dave Canales said. “And that’s his commitment. Whatever we ask him to do, whatever role it is. He made a tackle last week, you know, really nice tackle the week before. Just helping out on one of the kickoff coverage units.”
Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith agreed.
“He’s the last one to leave practice,” Smith said. “He’s out there every day, catching, working on his skills, turning himself into the best player he can be. ... He wants to be on the coverage units. What can I do this week? What can we do? He’s always thirsting for more action on the field. He’s getting frustrated on any touchback. He wants to make plays.”
It’s important to acknowledge how the new kickoff rule introduced this year has impacted this. Bunching up blockers and not allowing anyone to move until the ball has caught has made it more advantageous for returners with a running back background as opposed to a wide receiver background, some say — a product of the returners needing to be able to read blocks, of basically going through Oklahoma drills and coming out clean.
Smith admits that he’s always felt that running backs are best suited to return punts and kicks, but that the new rule makes that even more clear, eliminating the “wide-field” opportunities, for instance: “You don’t see a lot of guys catching it in one corner of the field and then running to the other one.”
‘If I’m lucky enough to get in the end zone’
Blackshear, Smith said, is a great fit for the new rule but also just as a returner in general. The end zone has eluded him, still, though. And that’s all he’s focused on.
“If I could take both of them — a punt return and a kick return — it’s done,” he said.
What will he do if he does find the end zone this weekend?
Something he wouldn’t normally be able to do if Sunday happened anywhere else but his hometown, at Lincoln Financial Field, his family and friends 65-people strong.
“Give my mom a kiss,” he said. “I’m playing this game for her and my dad. So if I’m lucky enough to get in the end zone, I’m gonna find her.”
