Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was a workhorse this past season, carrying the ball 219 times for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns while also hauling in 107 receptions for 867 yards and six scores.
Not only that, but McCaffrey was the only running back in the NFL to play in more than 83 percent of his team's snaps and over 900 snaps total on the season.
Of course, McCaffrey's versatility is a significant luxury, but the Panthers would like to cut his workload down for 2019.
“Him touching the ball was no concern,” said Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of The Charlotte Observer. “It was just the extra plays. So we have to look at that and find a way to take that load from him.”
In order to remedy the situation, Carolina is looking to add another halfback to complement McCaffrey this offseason.
“I think Christian shows you that he can carry the load no matter where he is,” Rivera said. “No matter where we run him — inside or outside, we run him out of the backfield as a receiver, that type of stuff. So really, (it) would be a guy who has, I would say, an almost similar type of skill set, that’s probably what we are looking for.”
McCaffrey, who played his collegiate football at Stanford University, was originally selected by the Panthers with the eighth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
During his rookie campaign, the 22-year-old rushed for 435 yards and two touchdowns while catching 80 passes for 651 yards and five scores.
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