It’s the slowest time of the year for NFL news, which means it’s ranking season. Yesterday, we shared a list of the top seven running backs in the NFC South, with Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey just barely edging out Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints for the top spot. McCaffrey is more than just a divisional stud though – he’s among the most talented players in football.
Even though he missed most of the 2020 season with injuries, Pro Football Focus still thinks he’s a top-50 player in the league. They’re unveiling the list this week and McCaffrey came in at No. 30.
“McCaffrey has dropped just nine of the 388 targets sent his way in the NFL (2.7% of catchable targets) and averaged 2.6 yards after contact per carry. With an improved scheme and talent group around him, the Panthers’ fanbase can rightly hope for a big bounce-back season from their star back.”
At this point, no reasonable fan doubts No. 22’s ability. The question will be if the Panthers can keep him healthy. McCaffrey may only be 25 years old, but he’s already totaled over 1,000 touches in his pro career. That’s after carrying a heavy workload during his last two seasons at Stanford.
After signing a four-year, $64 million extension last April, McCaffrey is under contract through the 2025 season.
Keeping McCaffrey fresh for that marathon may require changing up how he’s used a bit – and there’s some be reason to believe we’ll see that, despite what offensive coordinator Joe Brady says about not lightening CMC’s load.
The team’s interest in Seahawks running back Chris Carson in free agency could be a clue Carolina is planning to ease back the amount of punishment McCaffrey takes. The addition of rookie Chuba Hubbard in the fourth round of the draft gives the staff another option, at least.
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