After reports early this week projected that running back Christian McCaffrey would be out for at least a month after hurting his ankle in last Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, McCaffrey said that his hope was that “I can get back a lot earlier.”
If McCaffrey does beat that timetable, it won’t be by much. The Panthers announced on Wednesday that McCaffrey has been placed on injured reserve.
That set McCaffrey up to miss games against the Chargers, Cardinals and Falcons over the next three weeks. He’ll be eligible to return to active duty at that point and the best case scenario is that he’ll be on the field for Week Six against the Bears.
Mike Davis is set to be the lead back in Carolina during McCaffrey’s absence. Trenton Cannon is also on the roster and the team can promote another back from the practice squad on a temporary basis to flesh out the group this weekend.
Offensive lineman Chris Reed has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list to fill McCaffrey’s roster spot.