NFC South pro personnel director tips Christian McCaffrey to finish strong

An NFC South pro personnel director has tipped Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey to have a strong second half of 2021.

It might have gone somewhat overlooked after another dramatic week for the Carolina Panthers, but Christian McCaffrey actually made an encouraging return from a five-game absence in their Week 9 loss against the New England Patriots.

The All-Pro running back went over 100 all-purpose yards from just 18 touches. Something that’s gotten relatively overlooked with everything that’s transpired in the days following the defeat.

This is a positive step for McCaffrey, who has endured some struggles staying healthy over the last two seasons. There is no denying the former first-round pick’s credentials when firing on all cylinders. So hopefully, Sunday’s return will be the start of a consistent run of games.

If it proves to be the case, then one figure within the NFL believes McCaffrey could be set for big things in the coming weeks.

Christian McCaffrey was tipped as a second-half breakout star by NFC South director of pro personnel.

Matt Lombardo, who is FanSided‘s national NFL insider, called a number of league sources for potential breakout players over the second half of the campaign. An NFC South personnel director tipped McCaffrey to have a big say over Carolina’s remaining eight games.

"“Now that Christian McCaffrey is finally healthy, he’s going to hurt some teams making runs to the playoffs. He’s a one man spoiler.”"

There’s nothing to suggest McCaffrey isn’t more than capable of this. The Stanford product showed flashes of what he’s capable of against the Patriots, even though it wasn’t enough to prevent Carolina from falling to a heavy loss.

McCaffrey will have a bigger bullseye on his back than ever before in the coming weeks. Even with the presence of Cam Newton alongside him in the backfield following his sensational return on a one-year deal.

That being said, McCaffrey has proven on countless occasions that he can produce the goods despite this attention coming his way. One thing’s sure, the Panthers will need him fit for them to stand any chance of salvaging their season.

This is the time for McCaffrey to start earning his bumper new deal. The Panthers haven’t had much bang for their buck where the player is concerned due to injury since he penned the contract in 2020, so it’s absolutely essential he stands up and is counted when the team needs him most.

Watching how McCaffrey and Newton co-exist in the backfield is going to be intriguing.

The pair didn’t get much time to do this during the signal-caller’s first stint with the franchise thanks to injury. If they can both be on the field for the entire season then it might be the difference between mediocrity and attaining a surprise playoff spot.

Having two players who can impact proceedings running the football completely alters how opposing defenses will approach taking on the Panthers. It might also keep McCaffrey fresh enough to make a lasting contribution down the stretch.

Hopefully, the unnamed NFC South player personnel director is right. One thing’s for sure – if Newton also hits the ground running in front of a poor offensive line, then this dynamic duo could be the catalysts behind Carolina’s resurgence.