Carolina Panthers are working out former Miami star running back

The Carolina Panthers are expecting to be without star running back Christian McCaffrey for multiple weeks, according to reports on Friday. McCaffrey suffered a strained hamstring in the Panthers’ victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night. With McCaffrey down, the Panthers are working out former Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson, per Adam Schefter via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith.

McCaffrey led the NFL with 324 yards from scrimmage heading into Thursday night’s game. Rookie running back Chuba Hubbard, a fourth-round pick in the latest NFL Draft, is expected to lead the Panthers’ backfield in McCaffrey’s absence. Hubbard has 19 carries for 62 yards through the first three games of his NFL career.

Duke Johnson could slide into a McCaffrey-type role with the Panthers quickly

If the Panthers ultimately decide to sign Johnson, he could quickly find a role on the offense with McCaffrey out. Johnson has shown throughout his collegiate and NFL careers that he is one of the league’s most versatile running backs.

At Miami, Johnson played a role in the running game, passing game, and return game. Johnson’s best season at Miami came as a junior in 2014, where he rushed for 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding 421 yards and three touchdowns on 38 receptions. In his overall career with the Hurricanes, Johnson averaged 6.7 yards per carry with 3,519 yards and 26 touchdowns on 526 carries. He also had 69 receptions for 719 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson also averaged 31.4 yards per kick return in college, returning 41 kicks for 1,288 yards and two touchdowns.

In the NFL, Johnson has emerged as one of the league’s best pass catching running backs. Johnson’s pass-catching ability might be something that the Panthers are eyeing without McCaffrey. In four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Johnson rushed for 1,286 yards and five touchdowns on 299 carries. He became a valuable weapon out of the backfield with 235 receptions for 2,170 yards and eight touchdowns in Cleveland.

Johnson spent the last two seasons with the Houston Texans. In his two years there, Johnson had 160 rushing attempts for 645 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 72 passes for 659 yards and four touchdowns in Houston. Johnson has 12 fumbles in his NFL career, three coming last season in Houston.

On his career, Johnson has totaled 4,760 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns on 766 touches. Johnson might get the chance to add to those totals if he signs with the Panthers.

The Panthers are 3-0 for the fifth time in franchise history. The team lost McCaffrey and rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn to multi-week injuries on Thursday night. It would make a lot of sense for the Panthers to try and replace McCaffrey with a pass-catching threat like Johnson.