Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffery lands 44 on NFL’s top 100. Although McCaffery missed the majority of the 2020 season due to injury. He still found a way to reach the NFL’s top 100 list. He did drop 38 spots from the previous year but this was purely based on injury. The pace of McCaffery was relentless. In three games, he recorded 374 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. McCaffery ended the 2020 season with historic numbers based upon that trajectory.
Unfortunately, McCaffery was one of many top players who got injured last year. In the early part of the season, he sprained his ankle in week two and couldn’t play until week nine. Later on, he injured his shoulder, causing him to miss the rest of the 2020 season. In the 2021 season, the comeback tour of McCaffery will be something to look forward to. His potential is through the roof as he’s proven over the year that he is considered one of the league’s best running backs.
This man's a savage #NFLTop100
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 16, 2021
While McCaffery’s absence for the 2020 season is concerning, McCaffery has been recording astonishing numbers throughout his career as a Panther. McCaffery has dropped just nine of 388 targets since being drafted. He also averaged 2.6 yards after contact per carrying, per PFF. Improvement of schemes from the coaches and newly acquired talent will enhance McCaffery’s chances of having a bounce-back season.
There shall be no doubts of McCaffery’s abilities. The main concern will be if the Panthers can help him remain healthy going forward. Only 25 years old, he’s carried the ball over 1,000 times in his pro career. Not to mention, the hefty workload he took on at Stanford for his last two seasons.
Expectations for Christian McCaffery
McCaffery’s mindset isn’t bending or changing based on this previous injury. He’s locked in and looking forward to the highly anticipated 2021 season to make his comeback.
“I know how to train. I know how to take care of myself,” McCaffrey said on returning from his injuries. “Sometimes you just get unlucky. As much as I would love to prevent those, sometimes freaky stuff happens. But I’m completely moved on to this year. My mind is good. My body is even better and I’m fired up.”
Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady emphasizes he doesn’t want to overcomplicate things for McCaffery. He doesn’t want him to do anything he doesn’t have to. Brady wants McCaffery to not have to feel as if he has something to prove.
“My mindset has not changed with Christian McCaffrey,” Joe Brady said during OTAs. “… I told Christian, I don’t need Christian to be anything more than Christian McCaffrey. I think that’s important for him to know, that he doesn’t have anything to prove to me, to prove to anybody else, he just needs to be Christian McCaffrey.”
