Panthers Tracks: Why Matt Rhule said there are no plans to shut down Christian McCaffrey
This wasn’t the year Christian McCaffrey was expecting.
After performing at a MVP level in 2019, the Carolina Panthers running back signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension this past April. He was supposed to be the Panthers’ No. 1 option this season. And with a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, many were excited to see how he’d perform.
But a rash of injuries this season, one after another, has caused him to miss 10 games this year. He is doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Packers and may miss his 11th game.
So, with the Panthers out of the playoff hunt and only three games left in the season, will they shut him down? Panthers coach Matt Rhule says “no.” He hasn’t ruled him out for this week, and he hopes he can be ready next week against Washington’s Football Team.
“I’ve answered that so many times,” Rhule said, when asked why he wouldn’t shut McCaffrey down. “I think there’s a great thing I saw yesterday, Jason Kelce from the Eagles. There was a tweet I saw where he talks about the importance of winning.
“Winning organizations and winning cultures win. They don’t just win some of the time. We’re trying to win all the time. We’re not winning the way we want, but we’re trying to win.”
In other words, the Panthers are trying to establish a culture where winning becomes the standard. And if they shut McCaffrey down, that indicates that the Panthers aren’t trying their best to win.
McCaffrey has played in only three games this season. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 and missed the next six weeks. He returned in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs and looked healthy. But he suffered an AC joint injury to his shoulder on the game’s final drive.
He was expected to return in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, but he suffered a quad injury during the Week 13 bye while training on his own. Then he re-aggravated the injury in practice, six days before the game.
Rhule has said he won’t play McCaffrey if he isn’t healthy or could re-injure himself.
And the fact that he expects to play him indicates that there is a belief that McCaffrey could become healthy before the end of the season.
“Christian probably has a say in that as well,” Rhule said in regards to whether the Panthers should shut McCaffrey down. “If Christian wants to play, I don’t know that I have the right or the responsibility to tell him ‘no.’ ”
-Jonathan M. Alexander
Other news
The Panthers placed second-year left tackle Greg Little on the injured reserve list Thursday. Little suffered a high-ankle in practice and was expected to be out a few weeks.
The injured reserve designation allows the Panthers to add another player to their roster. Little was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. He had some good moments earlier this year, filling in for the injured Russell Okung, including some blocks that have made highlight reels.
But he struggled in pass protection recently and has finished the last two seasons on the IR.
Required reading
+ Where does the Panthers’ Jeremy Chinn stand in the DROTY race? Here’s what our survey found.
+ Should the Panthers sign Curtis Samuel to a new contract or let him walk in free agency?
+ Christian McCaffrey, nursing a thigh injury, expected to miss Panthers-Packers game
+ Back from an ankle injury and the COVID list, DJ Moore will play for Panthers vs Packers
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 4:59 AM.
