Should Panthers be Concerned About Latest Christian McCaffrey Injury?

Christian McCaffrey has only played in six games since Matt Rhule has taken over as the Panthers head coach.

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady have gotten used to life without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. Out of the 19 games that they have coached, CMC has only suited up for six of them. 

Let's go back to Week 2 of 2020. McCaffrey suffered a high ankle sprain in a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It took him seven weeks to recover and made an appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs. He made it through most of the Week 9 matchup before injuring his shoulder. He was supposed to recover from the strain and return before the season ended but he suffered another setback injuring his thigh in off-the-field workouts.

This season he got off to a tremendous two-week start piling up 59 touches before pulling his hamstring in Thursday night's game in Houston. There seems to be a pattern. McCaffrey suffers an injury. He is held out until he fully recovers but then is immediately given a full workload. Then he suffers another injury.

A limit on the number of touches that CMC receives might need to be implemented going forward. Rhule played it cautiously with his talented play-maker at the end of last season but what about now? The team is 3-0 and there is some pressure on the team to make a postseason run. 

The fact of the matter is that since Carolina extended a four-year $64 million contract to McCaffrey he has been healthy for under a third of the games. The coaching staff would be wise to limit his touches week-to-week rather than risk re-injury every time he returns.

As of now, McCaffrey has not been placed on the injured reserve list which is a good indication that he will return within the next three weeks. Based on last season's strategy it is also fair to assume that CMC will not see game action until he is absolutely 100-percent even if that means he does not return in 2021 altogether. The team seems deadset on making sure CMC returns completely healthy after suffering an injury–which is great. However, limiting his touches when he does return could be an even better strategy to prevent the vicious cycle that has taken place these past two years.

Running backs don't last long in the NFL as it is. McCaffrey is only 25 years old and is the best dual-threat RB in the game when he is healthy. The Panthers front office and coaching staff would be wise to develop a plan to prolong his career as best they can moving forward.

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