3 examples that indicate worrying career path for Christian McCaffrey

Another injury-hit season for Christian McCaffrey has the Carolina Panthers running back on a worrying career path that should cause concern.

The 2021 season was a disappointing and frustrating year for the Carolina Panthers as a whole. But in all of that pain and the burning questions it brings, one topic sticks out above the rest.

Christian McCaffrey.

The All-Pro looked like the second coming of names like Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders once upon a time, but he is now coming off two completely lost seasons due to injury. A worrying trend that could decimate a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame career before it even gets off the ground.

Injuries are, unfortunately, a part of the game and sometimes players just can’t seem to shake that bug once it digs in. However, there is every hope and likelihood that McCaffrey will come back 100 percent healthy in 2022 and remain that way for the entirety of the season.

But that is only half of the story.

One thing that is not appreciated enough about injuries, especially soft tissue ones, is the long-term effect that they can have on a player’s overall ability and explosiveness. Because even if McCaffrey comes back completely healthy, there is a large possibility that he will not be the same player we knew for the Panthers going forward.

Predicting what will happen in 2022 is an exercise in futility. But what we can do is examine other players at the position and how injuries have affected them to see what may be in store for the face of the franchise.