The Panthers Should Shut Down Christian McCaffrey
Let's face it. The chances of the Panthers making a playoff run are slim to none.
The team is currently sitting at 4-9 with Green Bay, Washington, and New Orleans remaining on the schedule. Those are three really difficult games to win, especially this late in the NFL season.
With that being said, Christian McCaffrey is arguably the best player on the Panthers, and he has only played in three games this season due to injury. Interestingly enough, all three of those games resulted in losses. He is recovering from a thigh injury and is doubtful to play against Green Bay this Saturday, so there will be two more games for Rhule to play him in 2020. Here's what Rhule told the media on Tuesday:
"I'm not expecting him to play as of right now. We'll see how the next couple of days unfold. Today was a walkthrough, so he was able to do some things but I'm not expecting him to play as we sit here right now. I just haven't really seen him run yet and if he came out tomorrow then that would probably turn my thinking. I know he's improving, he's getting better, but we'll practice tomorrow and see if that changes in a positive direction but I'm just not expecting it right now."
Protecting the players can be difficult to do at times, but it is absolutely necessary to prevent any long term risks.
This especially applies to McCaffrey, who is certainly itching to play again. Is risking another injury worth it? It doesn't seem like a good idea, no matter how competitive this team wants to be by the end of the season. Running back is easily one of the most dangerous positions in the sport because of all the contact that is involved. Even though McCaffrey has proven to be durable in the past, he has been struggling to stay on the field due to the heavy workload on his back. He had an average of 25.3 touches (rushing and receiving) in the three games he played in. It's all about cause and effect. That is just the reality of the situation.
The Panthers signed McCaffrey to a $64 million deal. They can't afford to let it go to waste.
He is worth every penny when he is healthy, which further proves my point. Why diminish the remainder of his fantastic career for two meaningless games in terms of playoff contention? Keeping McCaffrey out of harm's way is the best move for the future of this franchise. Matt Rhule and company need to play the long game here. Rushing him back to end a season that will leave the Panthers at 7-9 at best doesn't sound wise at all, and Rhule has understood that thus far. Hopefully, he and his staff will make the right call and shut him down for the remainder of the season.
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