It looks an odd move on the surface with the Panthers already loaded in their backfield with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson all under contract next season.

Added to that the running power of quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers have plenty of rushing options, but they still opted to bring in former Chargers powerhouse Tolbert.

The versatile playmaker has signed a four-year deal with Carolina and was keen to move to join head coach Ron Rivera - who was his offensive coordinator in San Diego for three seasons.

According to agent Joel Turner, Tolbert even turned his back on $1 million from the Chargers in order to move to Carolina.

"That's how bad he wanted to play there," Turner said. "He loves the idea of playing for Ron Rivera and being on the same team with Cam Newton. He just thinks it's a great fit."

Versatile

The muscular Tolbert is a powerful short-yardage back who also catches well out of the backfield and can also play at full-back.

Tolbert was never the feature back in San Diego but proved massively effective in finding the endzone, scoring ten touchdowns last year when splitting carries with Ryan Mathews.

He now faces even more competition for playing time, but Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said he would be a great addition to the team.

"Mike is a very versatile player," Hurney said. "He can jump in and play fullback, he catches the ball well out of the backfield and plays running back. He's also an outstanding special teams player."

Hurney insisted though that Tolbert's arrival would not result in the Panthers trading away one of Williams, Stewart or Goodson before the start of the new season.

"Mike's signing does not mean we're trying to trade DeAngelo or Jonathan," Hurney insisted. "We're making no attempts to trade either one of them. We've made no calls and will make no calls."

Reports do suggest that the Panthers would be open to a trade though, especially for Stewart, who will enter the final year of his rookie contract and could attract a decent draft pick for his services.