Carolina Panthers plan to hold Christian McCaffrey out of preseason games

During the first three seasons of his NFL career, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey did not miss a game. In that time, he turned into one of the NFL’s best offensive stars, emerging as a dangerous rusher in addition to a quality option in the receiving game.

Over the past two seasons, though, McCaffrey has been sidelined more than he’s been on the field. In 2020, he was limited to just three games. Last season, he played in just seven. Ten games over the course of two seasons is not what the Panthers want out of their star running back, and they hope that they can help change that trend next season.

According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, the Panthers will be trying a new approach with McCaffrey during training camp and the preseason.

“Rhule indicates Christian McCaffrey will be held out of preseason games again, and Panthers are looking into taking a different approach with him during practices,” Person tweeted.

Getting McCaffrey back at full strength would be a big boost for the Panthers

As a rookie, McCaffrey rushed for 435 yards and two touchdowns while adding 80 receptions for 651 yards and five more scores. In 2018, he rushed for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns and added 107 receptions for 867 yards and six scores. 2019 was McCaffrey’s best NFL season to date, as he rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns while also hauling in 116 catches for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns.

McCaffrey finished in third place f or the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, and earned the lone Pro Bowl appearance of his career thus far.

Overall, McCaffrey has rushed for 3,587 yards and 30 touchdowns in his professional career. He also has 357 receptions for 3,015 yards and 17 touchdowns. The versatile star is one of the best all-around offensive players in the league at his peak, but he hasn’t been able to reach that level since his historic 2019 campaign.

Last season, McCaffrey was healthy for the first two games before going down in Week 3. The Panthers started the year 3-0, but once McCaffrey was sidelined, they fell off. After the 3-0 start, the Panthers finished the year 5-12.

With a full offseason to get back to full strength, McCaffrey is vying to return to the level he expects to play at next season.