CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers on Saturday activated running back Christian McCaffrey from injured reserve to make him eligible for Sunday’s game at Kansas City.
The move comes as no surprise as coach Matt Rhule said on Friday McCaffrey was expected to be activated for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain during a Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay.
Rhule wanted to make sure there were no setbacks on Saturday when the Panthers (3-5) held their final practice before traveling to face the defending Super Bowl champions (7-1).
While most teams hold a light walk-through on Saturdays, Rhule puts his players through a full workout.
Rhule said how much McCaffrey is used depends on the back and weather conditions. The forecast is for sunny with temperatures in the low 70s.
The concern is overworking McCaffrey, who has missed six games, by playing him too many consecutive plays. So don’t look for him to be on the field 97 percent of the plays as he was in the opener — or even 93 percent as he was all of last season.
The Panthers enter the game with McCaffrey expected to share the load with Mike Davis, who rushed for 359 yards and two touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
But as Rhule noted earlier in the week when discussing what McCaffrey brings that Davis doesn’t, is that “Christian is an elite player” who creates elite production.
In 2019, McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.
“He’s one of the best in the National Football League,” Rhule said. “Like any great player, you feel better about your chances when he’s there than what he’s not.”
