The Panthers are getting Christian McCaffrey back Sunday. How much will he play?

Carolina has added running back Christian McCaffrey to its 53-man roster, meaning he is eligible to play Sunday when the Panthers (4-4) face the New England Patriots (4-4).

Meanwhile, starting quarterback Sam Darnold cleared concussion protocol. Darnold suffered a concussion last week in the Panthers’ 19-13 win over the Falcons. He also injured his shoulder. Both he and McCaffrey will be available Sunday.

But it will be a game-time decision as to whether Darnold will start. If he does not, backup P.J. Walker will start.

McCaffrey has not played since Sept. 23 after he suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the Panthers’ Week 3 win over the Texans.

McCaffrey’s return would be a huge boost for the Panthers and their offense, who were just 1-4 without him.

Through the team’s first two games, McCaffrey accounted for 41% of the Panthers’ total offense.

He has 201 yards rushing, 163 yards receiving and one rushing touchdown this season.

McCaffrey was designated to return from injured reserve earlier this week and practiced for the first time in nearly a month on Wednesday. He did not suffer any setbacks throughout the week.

McCaffrey’s usage rate has been a topic of concern in recent years. McCaffrey also missed 13 games in 2020 with a high ankle sprain, an AC shoulder joint injury and a quad injury at different points during the season.

Coach Matt Rhule said on Friday that if McCaffrey were to play it would be in a limited role and not 50 to 60 snaps.

“He’s just coming back,” Rhule said. “And plus, Chuba (Hubbard) has done a great job. Ameer (Abdullah) has done a great job and Royce (Freeman) has done a great job. So we have three guys there that we really like.”

“The important thing right now is we do everything we can to win the game, at the same time, protect our players from unnecessary risks.”

Other transactions

▪ The Panthers also added defensive back Myles Hartsfield to the 53-man roster. Hartsfield suffered a wrist injury in Week 1 and hasn’t played since.

▪ The Panthers promoted wide receiver Willie Snead and punter Lachlan Edwards from the practice squad as standard elevations for Sunday’s game. This is Snead’s first standard elevation and Edwards’ second.

Punter Joe Charlton is still recovering from a back injury.

This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 4:01 PM with the headline "The Panthers are getting Christian McCaffrey back Sunday. How much will he play?."

Jonathan M. Alexander

The Charlotte Observer

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Jonathan M. Alexander is a native of Charlotte. He began covering the Carolina Panthers for the Observer in July 2020 after working at the N&O for seven years, where he covered a variety of beats, including UNC basketball and football, Duke basketball, recruiting, K-12 schools, public safety and town government. Support my work with a digital subscription