As we make our way towards training camp, we’ll be investigating the Panthers camp battles that will be happening in the trenches during the dog days of summer in Spartanburg – while some, like the starting free safety and nickel cornerback, are easy to find, some aren’t quite so obvious and almost certainly injuries will force others into the spotlight, perhaps some that we didn’t even think about this early in the process.
Last week, we took a look at the offensive line, which has perhaps the most talent it’s had in the Cam Newton Era here in Carolina, with lots of question marks still swirling as the Panthers head towards training camp.
We’ll be focusing on the running back group today – who will seize the backup spot behind Christian McCaffrey, and more importantly, will it matter? Can the Panthers coaching staff find a way to get a running back on the field to spell the Panthers third-year weapon in the backfield?
Last season, before the Week 17 game that McCaffrey sat out most of, running backs not named Christian saw a total of 64 snaps – take away CJ Anderson, who was released halfway through the season, and that number drops to ten.
Alex Armah, who is more of a specialist blocker than a pure running back, tends to do his practicing during the week with the tight end group – so that’s where we’ve analyzed his roster chances.
The Real Question: How High Can He Go?
In his second season in the NFL, Christian McCaffrey moved from core contributor to focal point of the Panthers offense – the 23-year old was voted to his first All-Pro team as he racked up the most yards from scrimmage (1,965) in Panthers history and the third-most in the NFL.
Want more superlatives?
McCaffrey’s 107 receptions were the most in a single season by any running back in NFL history and the most by any Panthers’ player, regardless of position. He tallied 867 receiving yards, the most among running backs in the NFL in 2018 while finishing second in the NFL in yards after catch (851) and was the third player in NFL history after Matt Forte and Ladanian Tomlinson with over 1,000 rushing yards and 100 receptions in a single season. He also became the third player in NFL history with at least 1,500 career rushing and 1,500 career receiving yards in his first two seasons, joining Alvin Kamara and Herschel Walker on that exclusive list.
He also joined Walter Payton as one of only two players in NFL history with 50 yards rushing, receiving and passing in a single game.
This year, his goal appears to be 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards, something that’s only been done twice in the history of the NFL. Roger Craig, the first to do it – Marshall Faulk was the other in 1999 – thinks it’s a foregone conclusion.
“He will definitely get the 1,000-1,000,” said Craig. “It’s in his DNA to make that happen. He’s got the tools. He’s built for it. His day will come.”
Table Via Carolina Panthers Media Guide
While Ron Rivera spoke earlier in the offseason about finding ways to get the bellcow back some rest, that may not necessarily be in the cards – plays where McCaffrey isn’t on the field, he can’t be the final option for Cam Newton – getting the ball into the running back’s hands and letting him do the rest was extraordinarily helpful in the later downs. Newton completed 85.5% of the passes intended for McCaffrey for 768 yards – and 36 first downs.
Of McCaffrey’s 107 catches, 19 of them came on third down – and 13 of those receptions resulted in either a first down or a score.
“I played in every game last year [and] felt great,” he said. “I can do it again. I feel I can do it over the next many years. … I would definitely like the ball as much as possible.”
Question Mark: Can CAP Continue To Hang Around?
While the notion that the Panthers released CJ Anderson last season to get ‘an honest look’ at Artis-Payne was clearly incorrect, the 29-year old is the only player on the roster not named McCaffrey to have an NFL carry and his contributions on special teams – the running back worked hard to be able to contribute any way he can and logged 341 special teams snaps over the past two seasons after only 14 in the two prior; he’s logged only 281 offensive snaps in his entire career – will likely be the reason he makes the roster.
The Panthers, whether they’ll admit it or not, know what they have in Artis-Payne, so his performance in the preseason, which will likely be as good as it has been in the past – the backup has averaged 4.42 yards per carry in his career during the preseason, including a whopping 6.43 yards per carry on 180 carries in 2017 – won’t be the deciding factor in whether he’ll be on the roster in 2019.
It will likely come down to how well the young unknowns perform and if they can make Artis-Payne, who certainly has a presence in the locker room, expendable.
Up Next: Which Rookie Makes The Team?
