Christian McCaffrey could make a big impact after the bye week
By Dean Jones
Christian McCaffrey will be ready to rock after the bye week.
It has been a season littered with frustration for Christian McCaffrey. The star running back has spent all-but 3.5 games on the sidelines through injury and his presence in the lineup could have made all the difference for a roster that appears to be on the cusp of something special.
This is not what Christian McCaffrey or the Carolina Panthers hoped for going into the campaign. The organization gave their All-Pro a four-year, $64 million contract extension with a $21 million signing bonus and $38 million guaranteed this offseason, which was the richest contract ever given to a player at the position.
The perils of paying running backs their going rate are well documented.
McCaffrey was worth every penny of his new deal after coming off a 2019 season that saw him become the third player in NFL history to go over 1,000-yards rushing and receiving in the same season. But his iron man image now looks to be a thing of the past after ankle and shoulder problems over the season.
McCaffrey did see some practice on Wednesday before being practically ruled out by head coach Matt Rhule for Carolina’s Week 12 game at the Minnesota Vikings. This will make the former first-round pick raring to go after their long-awaited bye week and this could be the spark behind a strong end to the campaign.