Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey is poised for breakout season
The Carolina Panthers are coming into 2018 with a wealth of new playmakers on the roster. Christian McCaffrey is one of the more exciting options.
The Carolina Panthers know they have a dynamic playmaker in Cam Newton. In fact, the entire league knows that he’s a threat any time the ball is in his hands. However, Carolina has struggled to place adequate weapons of equal playmaking ability around Newton. In 2017, the Panthers drafted Christian McCaffrey and, in his first season, he’s shown that he has a skill set that can complement Newton’s skill. With that in mind, look to McCaffrey to have a breakout season in 2018 as the primary option in the Panthers’ run game.
The former Stanford player had a strong rookie season with the Panthers in 2017. He had 117 attempts for 435 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, along with 80 receptions for 651 yards and five touchdowns. Around McCaffrey and Newton the Panthers look to be building an offense that allows for more diversity in their play scheme. Even with those changes being brought forth by new offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, fans and opponents alike should expect for McCaffrey to be a prominent option on the field.
It will be interesting to see how the Panthers lean on McCaffrey. At Stanford, he was the primary running back and they used him to move the sticks in more traditional ways. As a Panther, he has been used as a change-of-pace type of player; to offset the way that Jonathan Stewart was used as the main running option. Now that Stewart is a part of the New York Giants, the time is for McCaffrey to take the helm.
Some see him as a Brian Westbrook type of player. As a member of the Philadelphia Eagles years ago, Westbrook was paired with Donovan McNabb and they successfully used him as an option to run or catch a pass on nearly every play. McCaffrey’s rookie season looked very similar to the way Westbrook was leveraged as an Eagle and if that’s any inclination to how successful McCaffrey can be, then Panthers fans should be excited for the second-year player.
The additions of C.J. Anderson, Torrey Smith and D.J. Moore gives the Panthers additional playmakers that have eluded this team in the past. We know what to expect from players such as Greg Olsen, Devin Funchess, Damiere Byrd and others. But even with one year under his belt, McCaffrey’s full potential is more of a question mark.
As the primary back in this formidable running attack, McCaffrey has high expectations heading into this year. We could see him easily break 200 rushing attempts and get targeted on more than 200 passes. If last season is any indicator, putting the ball in McCaffrey’s hand more times is the right way to go. This takes pressure off of Newton and makes this offense much more difficult to plan against.
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Turner is coming into this new role for the Panthers with a full cupboard of weapons. In years past the Panthers have looked like a viable threat on paper heading into the season, but things didn’t work out quite as well. This is another year in which Carolina looks like a true offensive powerhouse and Christian McCaffrey is one of the main reasons why.