6 major gambles the Carolina Panthers are clearly going to make in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers are gambling on Christian McCaffrey’s health
Much like the situation with Robby Anderson, the Carolina Panthers fielded some trade calls for running back Christian McCaffrey this offseason that came to nothing. The organization was reportedly looking for a first-round pick and more for the All-Pro despite his recent troubles staying on the field and the Buffalo Bills were reportedly one of the teams that showed interest before exploring other options.
McCaffrey will be with the team in 2022 barring something astonishing happening between now and then. This is something of a gamble considering the player has turned out just 10 times over the last two seasons, but his talent is undisputed when he does manage to put a consistent run of games together.
Although McCaffrey will still shoulder a heavy burden in Ben McAdoo’s scheme, the free-agent arrival of D’Onta Foreman should allow the Panthers to start using the former first-round pick more creatively and not taking punishment in between the tackles for good measure.
Something has to change moving forward. If it does and McCaffrey still suffers some complications on the health front, then one would think the franchise might move on from the Stanford product via trade or even early release this time next year.
That’s how high the stakes are for McCaffrey next season. But he’ll be chomping at the bit to prove his doubters wrong.