We’ll tell you like we did last week, Carolina Panthers fans—take a breath.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey was held out of practice on Wednesday simply for rest. The approach to recovery for the sixth-year veteran, who missed 23 of 33 games between 2020 and 2021, has leaned towards taking extended breaks thus far.
After sitting out the entire preseason, McCaffrey didn’t see his usual, onerous workload in Sunday’s season opener. He totaled just 14 touches—10 rushing attempts and four receptions—for 57 yards from scrimmage in the 26-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
| Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Game status | |
| RB Christian McCaffrey | Rest | DNP | |||
| DE Marquis Haynes Sr. | Hip | DNP | |||
| LB Frankie Luvu | Shoulder | Limited | |||
| OT Taylor Moton | Knee | Limited | |||
| LB Brandon Smith | Thigh | Limited |
Head coach Matt Rhule also addressed the absence of receiver and returner Andre Roberts, who was placed on the injured reserve yesterday. With the 34-year-old set to miss a few months with a knee injury, Rhule said to expect wideout Shi Smith on punt returns and running back Chuba Hubbard taking up kick returns moving forward.
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