4 false narratives surrounding the Carolina Panthers in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers are too reliant on Christian McCaffrey
This might have been the case in previous years.
But the Carolina Panthers would be wise to avoid this scenario in 2022.
Christian McCaffrey was the workhorse back in 2018 and 2019, becoming only the third player in NFL history to go over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season en route to his first All-Pro selection. A bumper new contract followed, but things haven’t gone according to plan since thanks to some nagging injuries.
McCaffrey’s absence took his tally to 10 contests over the last two years. And the Panthers completely capitulated without the league’s best dual-threat weapon to call upon.
This was a wake-up call in no uncertain terms.
Carolina has to find a better way to maximize the Stanford product with fewer touches. Others also have to step up in pursuit of alleviating further pressure from McCaffrey’s shoulders.
If the Panthers haven’t figured this out by now, it should be their top priority. Something that could define Ben McAdoo’s first campaign as the team’s new offensive coordinator.
Carolina has been too reliant on McCaffrey in the past and paid the price. But make no mistake, they have more than enough talent at the skill positions to ensure this doesn’t happen again.