Christian McCaffrey named among top 2021 bounce-back candidates
Injuries are an unfortunate part of life in the NFL. Nobody needs to remind the Carolina Panthers of that fact, as they’ve had three straight brutal years when it comes to the health of their most-important players.
Former Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was having another MVP-quality season back in 2018 before his shoulder issues took him down. In 2019, it was Newton’s foot that put him on the shelf and led to Kyle Allen starting 12 regrettable straight games. Last year, it was star running back Christian McCaffrey who suffered the most. He missed all but three games due to several different injuries.
Heading into the 2021 season, the Panthers are overdue for a bit more luck in this department. If they get a healthy McCaffrey for a full 17 games – or something close to it – it’s not hard to imagine this team finishing with a much better record than in 2020.
If Run CMC does return to form this coming season, he should have a chance to win Comeback Player of the Year award. At the very least, he’ll have a strong case. McCaffrey has been ranked No. 4 among the top 10 bounce-back candidates by CBS Sports.
“Before 2020, McCaffrey had never missed a game, posting three straight 80-catch seasons to start his career. Then came ankle and shoulder issues that limited him to three contests and forced Carolina to lean heavily on backup Mike Davis and QB Teddy Bridgewater, both of whom are now gone. . . Regardless of whether Sam Darnold pans out at QB, McCaffrey should be in for another big dose of touches.”
Other solid potential comeback candidates include Odell Beckham, Julio Jones and Nick Bosa. That said, from where we’re sitting McCaffrey should be the favorite.
In his last fully healthy season (2019) CMC totaled a ridiculous 2,392 yards and scored 19 touchdowns from scrimmage – both league highs. If he can stay on the field, there’s no reason to believe he can’t get back to that level.
