5 Panthers not named Sam Darnold with the most at stake in 2021

Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers RB

While some may disagree with this statement, it doesn’t change the fact that Christian McCaffrey has a lot riding on the 2021 season. The dual-threat running back may be the most dynamic weapon in the league, but the previous campaign did not go his way.

After taking the league by storm in his first few years, McCaffrey exploded in 2019 with over 1,000 receiving and rushing yards, a feat that very few people can say that they’ve accomplished.

All signs pointed to a historic and potentially Pro Football Hall of Fame career and then 2020 happened, a statement that can be said about a great many things.

McCaffrey was limited to only three games last season due to a high ankle sprain and subsequent shoulder injury after coming off injured/reserve late in the year. A worrying trend for any player, but especially a running back.

Gone are the days of a back playing at a high level for 15 years like the great Emmitt Smith and that is through no fault of their own. The shelf life of a player at the position just simply isn’t what it used to be and once the injuries start coming, they very rarely go away.

The trajectory of a running back’s career is less a gentle slope and more so a plateau with a gigantic dropoff in today’s league. We’ve seen this happen with many players in recent memory. Names like DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden, and Le’Veon Bell, come to mind.

So even with all the superstar capabilities McCaffrey has – if he can’t shake this injury bug or the effects linger in 2021, a promising career could be cut shockingly short as that decline would come sooner than anyone expected or hoped for.

His legacy could end up being less of a best ever and turn into what could have been, and that all depends on how McCaffrey bounces back with the Carolina Panthers this year.