5 Carolina Panthers who’ll be glad to see the back of 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers RB
It was an absolute joy to see Christian McCaffrey back on the field this season. The Carolina Panthers were hoping his frustrating 2020 due to injuries was a one-off, but it didn’t take long for the same complications to resurface as the All-Pro went down during the team’s Week 3 game at the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football.
This was followed by yet another ailment that eventually put McCaffrey on season-ending injured/reserve, restricting his contribution to just seven games. Not exactly what anybody envisaged and something that clearly had a detrimental impact on the offense.
Carolina looked absolutely clueless without the former first-round pick. Sam Darnold’s regression was a major concern without the league’s best security blanket and if the Panthers want to be successful moving forward, they have to find a better contingency plan in the event McCaffrey cannot stay healthy in 2022.
It doesn’t appear likely McCaffrey will be traded. Players like him don’t come around every day and there is no denying his talent when fit and firing on all cylinders.
Taking the load off, using McCaffrey as a slot receiver, and finding a power back capable of gaining the hard yards between the tackles are all viable options. But one thing’s for sure, this complication has to get solved at the earliest possible opportunity.