Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey will be placed on season ending injured reserve (IR) due to a left ankle injury he sustained in the second quarter of the Week 12 loss against the Miami Dolphins, 33-10 on Sunday. It is the second time this year that he has been on the IR, therefore he will not be eligible to be activated a second time.
Coach Matt Rhule said on Monday morning that the initial X-ray came back negative, indicating that the injury did not seem to be that serious, but he would go for additional testing. An MRI revealed that the damage was significant enough to place him back on the shelf for the rest of the season. McCaffrey will not need to undergo surgery, provided there is no set back and should be ready for the 2022 campaign.
Since signing a four-year, $64 million extension, which made him the highest paid running back in NFL history, in the last two seasons McCaffrey was only able to play in 10 out of a possible 33 games for the Panthers.
McCaffrey was tied with running back Theo Reddick (2014-2018), for having at least one reception in 57 straight games. That came to an end on Sunday.
Since 2019, when McCaffrey was the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season, his production has declined because of injuries. He has only accumulated 1,159 total yards, 667 rushing and 492 receiving.
McCaffrey appeared to be getting back to normal after returning from the hamstring injury. He had 421 yards from scrimmage on 68 touches the past four games, as the Panthers put him on a snap count. He will end this season with a grand total of 442 yards rushing and 343 receiving in seven games.
Rookie Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah will share the load in the backfield. Hubbard was the number one back when McCaffrey was out with the hamstring injury, rushing for 329 yards in five games.
Abdullah replaced McCaffrey as the vocal point of the offense in Sunday’s game. He was targeted six times but only had two receptions for 20 yards.
McCaffrey has a guaranteed salary of $8.1 million for the 2022 season, but no guarantees going forward. With this latest injury, it is with a lot less certainty that he will finish out his current deal with the Panthers.
