Not only did the Carolina Panthers take in a fresh breath of air with Monday’s trade for cornerback C.J. Henderson, but they also took one out with the current (and encouraging) status of their superstar running back.
When speaking to reporters today (although mainly about Henderson), head coach Matt Rhule gave fans another reason to feel pretty, pretty good. He soundly stated that the team does not envision having to place Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve list moving forward.
“Christian won’t go on IR,” he said. “I would expect that we put Jaycee [Horn] at some point this week. Scott [Fitterer] will handle that. Jaycee will obviously have surgery and be out for a while. And Christian, we don’t see in that light.”
Although the bit on Horn is a bummer, news of his surgery and long-term absence was to be expected. The rookie cornerback broke multiple bones in his right foot during the Panthers’ 24-9 win over the Houston Texans in Week 3.
McCaffrey, on the other hand, won’t be out too long with his strained hamstring.
Rhule also provided an update on safety Juston Burris, who also had to exit the victory early this past Thursday night. He believes Burris will be back in “a couple of weeks” while he heals up from a groin injury.
As some insurance for these secondary losses, in addition to taking in Henderson, the team has signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, off the practice squad and onto the active roster. Melvin has played in each of the last two games for a total of 62 defensive snaps against the Houston and the New Orleans Saints.
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