There is a lot expected of Christian McCaffrey when he returns from injury, but the Carolina Panthers also need to play their part in 2021.
The Carolina Panthers finished the 2020 season with a 5-11 record for the second straight year. They were far more competitive than many expected after so much player turnover in the first campaign under Matt Rhule’s leadership, but their inability to get over the line in critical moments ended up costing them a chance of a winning record or even a surprise playoff appearance in a weak NFC overall.
One of the main factors for this – outside of Teddy Bridgewater’s poor play under center – was the absence of running back Christian McCaffrey. The All-Pro managed to turn out in just three games for the Panthers due to various injury problems, which is a far cry from the iron man image he portrayed over his first three years in the NFL.
Had McCaffrey been on the field for the entire season, things might have been different. The former Stanford star is back and raring to go judging by his offseason workout videos, but Carolina needs to learn some lessons from this if they want to keep their face of the franchise at the top of his game.
This will be absolutely pivotal to their chances of progression, especially considering how fine the margins were last time around. McCaffrey has shouldered a heavy burden over recent seasons that may have come back to haunt the Panthers in 2020, so they can ill-afford to make the same sort of mistakes again.
With this in mind, here are three ways the Panthers can help McCaffrey when competitive action rolls around in 2021.
Become a more balanced offense
There are obviously some concerns about the way Christian McCaffrey was utilized over the last two seasons. The Panthers haven’t had much in the way of consistent quarterback play due to Cam Newton’s injury prior to his departure, so this forced them to lean heavily on the running back on his way to an eye-popping number of touches prior to the 2020 campaign.
McCaffrey accumulated 729 combined touches from 2018-19. This is a trend that simply cannot continue if Carolina wants to get bang for their buck for the duration of the player’s new four-year, $64 million deal with a $21 million signing bonus and $38 million guaranteed.
The Panthers have plenty of weapons in the passing game to make this possible, providing quarterback Sam Darnold makes a better go of things in a different environment following his trade from the New York Jets.
D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, David Moore, Dan Arnold, and recent draft picks Terrace Marshall Jr. and Shi Smith all come with big-play ability. So if the Panthers can find more balance on offense it is going to open up things enormously.
McCaffrey is still going to get more than his fair share of touches. But the simple fact is Carolina does not have to be as reliant on the player considering the wealth of other options available.
Make the most of Chuba Hubbard
With Mike Davis no longer with the Carolina Panthers after signing for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, there was a real need to find a primary backup to Christian McCaffrey who could shoulder some of the load long-term. They opted not to bring a prominent veteran to the organization in free agency, but fans did not have to wait long during the 2021 NFL Draft for another potentially solid option to call upon.
The Panthers selected Chuba Hubbard in the fourth round, with the rookie no stranger to Matt Rhule who saw first-hand what the player could do after he torched Baylor during his time at Oklahoma State that did not go unnoticed by the head coach.
Hubbard should come in and make an immediate impact. He is a strong runner who is elusive enough to make things happen in open space, so there is an opportunity for Carolina to give him some worthwhile touches during his rookie campaign providing his adjustment to the pro ranks is a smooth one.
This should assist McCaffrey greatly.
There is absolutely no way Hubbard is going to move atop the depth chart at any stage. So if the Panthers can integrate him immediately and take at least some of the load off, it could improve McCaffrey’s longevity in the process.
Simply put, this is a win-win for all parties involved.
Having more than one back who can produce quality numbers is becoming more prevalent with every successful team across the league. And Hubbard has a tremendous amount of potential that could assist from the outset.
Carolina Panthers need to get creative
It’s all well and good having Christian McCaffrey just pounding the rock on any given down. But this is going to result in a significant amount of punishment coming his way that is bound to take its toll at some stage.
The Carolina Panthers have arguably the NFL’s best dual-threat player at the position, so they have an added luxury of getting creative in terms of where he can make an impact on the field. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal and getting McCaffrey in the right positions where he can have a huge say in proceedings will be key.
Chuba Hubbard’s presence on the roster comes with the possibility of using two-back sets, which is another element to the scheme that can be implemented that perhaps hasn’t been used before. Putting McCaffrey out in the slot or in motion is something else to consider, with the addition of rookie tight end Tommy Tremble another massive boost to the player that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Tremble might be a work in progress catching the football. But one area the former Notre Dame standout already appears NFL-ready is blocking on the edge and getting to the second level.
The options are endless and something the Panthers should make the most out of. This not only keeps opposing defenses guessing, but it also enables McCaffrey to avoid big hits from imposing defensive linemen consistently.
McCaffrey is no doubt chomping at the bit to get back to the sort of level we saw from the player in 2019. However, the Panthers might want to explore different avenues on how they use their star man.