Christian McCaffrey will return from injury soon, but in time to play vs. Falcons?
The Carolina Panthers have designated running back Christian McCaffrey to return from the injured reserve list.
McCaffrey has spent the last five weeks on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain suffered in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers have gone 3-2 without McCaffrey and will host the Atlanta Falcons on “Thursday Night Football” this week.
“I’m hopeful (that he will be able to play Thursday). I have to see how he responds to getting out there today,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Tuesday. “But it was great to have him out there.”
During Monday’s portion of practice that’s open to the media, McCaffrey did not participate and remained on the injured reserve list.
He arrived to Tuesday’s practice wearing a baseball cap and a red jersey, which indicates a player is injured, but switched to a normal practice jersey and helmet and participated in stretches during the portion open to the media.
McCaffrey has 21 days to practice before the Panthers have to make a decision on bringing him back to the active roster. He can be brought back any time during that time period. He will not count toward a roster spot until he is officially back on the active roster.
“I think he looks good, he looks like he’s moving around great, so just again, we’ll let the medical people and him just determine how much he can do or when he can go out and play in the game,” Rhule said.
Running back Mike Davis has filled in well for McCaffrey overall. In five starts, he has 70 rushing attempts for 283 yards and two rushing touchdowns, in addition to 29 receptions for 159 yards and two receiving scores. Davis also had his second career fumble in the Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears. Rhule said Davis will continue to have a role in the offense when the All-Pro returns.
McCaffrey had not missed a single NFL game prior to his injury. He was drafted eighth overall by the Panthers in 2017.
The Panthers’ shorter week than usual will give injured players a more difficult road to being available for Thursday’s game due to limited recovery and preparation time. But being fully healthy is more important at a position like running back and for someone like McCaffrey, who invests and puts a lot of time into keeping his body healthy.
“I think it differs by position, I think an O-lineman, a D-lineman can can deal with some different injuries. I think when you’re talking about a running back, who obviously makes their living running, cutting, producing power, you have to make sure that they have all those skill sets available to them,” Rhule said. “That’s been our approach with (McCaffrey), but also our approach with (practice squad running back) Reggie (Bonnafon) as Reggie comes back from the same injury, just making sure that when they go out there, they have all their skills that they need to go out and play at a really high level.
“In terms of this week, I think, from any injury every day is crucial. The more time you have, the more important it is, the better chance you have of playing.”
The Panthers will travel to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs next week after an extended off time following the Thursday game. If McCaffrey were to return for the game vs. Atlanta, he would not have had the opportunity to participate in a full practice week before getting back on the field.
“(His return) won’t be a minute too early,” Rhule said. “We’ll be smart.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Christian McCaffrey will return from injury soon, but in time to play vs. Falcons?."
