4 options the Carolina Panthers have with Christian McCaffrey in 2022
By Dean Jones
Keep the same mindset with Christian McCaffrey
One potential option – however unlikely – is the coaching staff putting their head in the sand and continuing unaltered where Christian McCaffrey’s workload is concerned.
No sooner had the player returned from a five-week absence earlier in the campaign, he became the undisputed focal point once again. McCaffrey logged 33 carries and 19 targets through a little more than two games – which is slightly lower than usual but still something that was too much, too soon for the player.
The Carolina Panthers gave McCaffrey top dollar last offseason, which officially kicks in from 2022 onwards. This piles on additional pressure to get some bang for their buck and the obvious temptation would be to keep things as they are given what they paid him in the first place.
McCaffrey is also highly demanding regarding his role. Matt Rhule has allowed the player to almost dictate his own involvement on occasions, so if the head coach doesn’t show any backbone regarding this situation, don’t be surprised if the same pattern emerges.
Considering how inapparent this staff is at making the right sort of adjustments, there is a chance things stay the same in terms of McCaffrey’s combined touches in 2022. However, the dangers of moving forward with this strategy cannot be ignored any longer.