New Panthers receiver Ray-Ray McCloud met Cam Newton in high school during a seven-on-seven tournament in Florida.
The two caught up at Wofford last month after the Bills and Panthers practiced for two days in Spartanburg, S.C.
McCloud and Newton also share a similar hairstyle — as in, they both have a lot of it.
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“Nah, I don’t compete with hair,” said the 5-foot-9 McCloud, who’s closer to 6-foot with his hair standing up, which it was Monday.
But the Panthers didn’t bring in the former Clemson star for his Afro — or really for his receiving skills, either.
McCloud, claimed off waivers from Buffalo on Sunday, was acquired to bring a “jolt” of energy to the return game, according to Panthers coach Ron Rivera.
That’s been McCloud’s M.O. since his days at Clemson, where he caught Carolina general manager Marty Hurney’s attention with a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown at N.C. State in 2017 on a day when Hurney was in attendance.
No wonder, then, that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney used a coffee bean analogy when he texted McCloud on Sunday after learning he was headed back to the Carolinas.
Asked Monday if his preference was kick return or punt return, the soft-spoken McCloud said, “I prefer to ball.”
McCloud didn’t have much of an opportunity to do so last year in Buffalo, but he’ll get that chance in Carolina.
The Panthers used a handful of punt returners during the preseason, including seventh-round pick Terry Godwin and Rashad Ross, who was signed after an impressive AAF stint. But when neither made the Panthers’ 53-man roster, it was clear Hurney would need to make a move unless he wanted to use a starter like DJ Moore in that role.
Enter McCloud, the Bills’ sixth-round pick in 2018.
“I go back to watching him at Clemson. He’s got some pretty explosive return ability. Matter of fact, I was at a game at North Carolina State when he ran one back for a touchdown,” Hurney said.
“I think he’ll just get better and better. He brings us a different skill set at returner as far as the ability to have some big returns. He went (to Buffalo) last year, and I think he’s grown. He can also play receiver. Basically slot, but he can play receiver.
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“Essentially, he’s going to get a chance right off the bat to be our returner.”
McCloud, the Bills’ No. 3 punt returner last season, had only four chances as a rookie — two of which were fair catches. He caught five passes for 36 yards in limited action on offense.
So McCloud wasn’t too surprised to learn he’d been waived over the weekend.
He was on the phone with his agent on Sunday when Buffalo receivers coach Chad Hall called him to tell him the Panthers had claimed him. After a quick stop at the Bills facility to say his goodbyes, McCloud caught a flight to Charlotte.
He checked into his uptown hotel around 10 p.m. and was at Bank of America Stadium by 6:30 a.m. Monday.
Happy Labor Day.
“Being a competitor, it was tough (getting cut). But that’s part of the business,” he said. “Doors close, (but) other ones open. And every door that opens is a blessing.”
McCloud found some familiar faces in the Panthers locker room. In addition to Newton, he trained with safety Rashaan Gaulden before last year’s draft, met Moore during the draft process and caught passes from backup quarterback Kyle Allen in California this past offseason with a training group that included Bills QB Josh Allen.
McCloud said now he wants to get comfortable with the guys he doesn’t know, particularly those on the return teams.
“Just knowing each other out there and trusting each other. I hope they trust me back there, as well,” he said. “It’s all about having chemistry, which we’ll build, obviously, with me being new here.”
McCloud and running back Reggie Bonnafon look to be the leading candidates to handle the return duties.
“As far as a punt returner, he’s got some explosive ability,” Hurney said. “You don’t want to say too much because I haven’t even seen him at practice yet. I’ve seen him in games, but he certainly has that ability to change the field. We were very pleased to get him.”
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Beside the punt return Hurney saw in person, McCloud had another, more infamous, return at Clemson in 2016.
Near the end of a 75-yard runback against Troy, McCloud flipped the ball behind him before crossing the goal line, negating a touchdown and drawing the wrath of Swinney.
“Coach Swinney got on me about that,” McCloud said. “He didn’t yell at me at first. He was like, ‘You’ve got to grow up.’ And then he yelled at me.”
Swinney was in better spirits Sunday when he texted McCloud with a congratulations and a reminder of the coffee bean analogy a motivational speaker shared with Clemson’s players several years ago.
The idea is that when dropped in water, a coffee bean fares better than an egg or a carrot.
“An egg will harden, and the carrot will soften. A coffee bean (will) spread energy,” McCloud said, recalling Swinney’s text. “Go be the playmaker you are.”
McCloud plans to follow that advice.
“There’s not too much I feel like I can’t do,” he said. “Whatever they ask me to do, I’m willing to do it.”
(Photo of McCloud: John Byrum / Getty Images)
