Christian McCaffrey injury update: Carolina Panthers RB to miss “a few weeks”

NFL‘s topmost running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury that he sustained during a game against Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule said on Friday. 

Rhule said the 2019 All-Pro RB had a strained hamstring that could sideline McCaffrey up to four weeks. However, the coach said he doesn’t know at this point if McCaffrey will go on injured reserve.

“They are still doing a bunch of diagnostic testing so I can’t tell you if that is one, two, three or four weeks,” Rhule said Friday on a Zoom call. “Obviously Christian will decide the best course of action for him getting back as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn, who has three broken bones in his foot and could miss the remainder of the season. Rhule said Horn and his family will decide after further consulting with doctors what the best course of action is, but it’s clear he won’t be back anytime soon.

“I can’t tell you at this point if that is season-ending or not,” Rhule said.

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Rhule also said safety Juston Burris has a groin injury, but it hasn’t been determined how much time he will miss.

McCaffrey was injured in Carolina’s 24-9 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night when he pulled up after making a stutter step while running a sweep play on the team’s third possession. He had 31 yards on seven carries, but did not return.

Rookie Chuba Hubbard is expected to take over for McCaffrey as the starter, while Royce Freeman will also see carries. Hubbard ran for 52 yards on 11 carries against the Texans, while Freeman had five carries for 17 yards.

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This is yet another frustrating injury for McCaffrey, who hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the field since becoming only the third player in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.

He missed 13 games last season with separate injuries.

McCaffrey was off to another solid start this season for the unbeaten Panthers with 201 yards rushing on 52 carries and one touchdown, along with 16 receptions for 163 yards. The team counts on him to set up the play-action passing game.

The Carolina Panthers next play at Dallas Cowboys on October 3.

With inputs from the Associated Press