NFL 2022: Who will replace Christian McCaffrey at Carolina Panthers?

NFL fans were handed a shock when news of Christian McCaffrey’s trade to the San Francisco 49ers from the Carolina Panthers emerged on Thursday night, October 20. McCaffrey, 26, is one of the premium running backs in the league and his exit will certainly leave a void hard to fill.

McCaffrey becomes the second player to be traded by the Carolina Panthers this season, following the exit of wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals. While the Carolina Panthers have several options who can replace the 26-year-old on the field, let’s take a look at who is the most probable to do that.

Also Read: NFL 2022: What does Christian McCaffrey bring to San Francisco 49ers?

According to reports, the Panthers are set to replace McCaffrey with Chuba Hubbard, a 2021 draft pick and D’Onta Foreman, who was traded from the Tennessee Titans in the offseason.

23-year-old Chuba Hubbard is one of the most exciting prospects at Carolina Panthers, having already registered 178 carries for 646 yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 26 receptions for 175 yards, 1 receiving touchdown and 2 fumbles in his career so far. He has also recorded 5 carries for 31 yards, 1 reception for 1 yard and 1 fumble in the last five games in the NFL.

On the other hand, 26-year-old D’Onta Foreman has registered 252 carries for 1,024 yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 18 receptions for 239 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns and 5 fumbles in his career so far. He has recorded 10 carries for 32 yards in the last five NFL games.

Also Read: A look at Carolina Panthers’ running back depth chart

However, another option to replace Christian McCaffery could be rookie running back Raheem Blackshear. The 23-year-old spent his college football career at Rutgers and Virginia Tech and might become a surprise pick to replace Christian McCaffery in the lineups.

Raheem Blackshear, however, is yet to make his NFL debut. In his college career, the running back registered 410 carries for 1,912 yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, 123 receptions for 1,213 yards, 7 receiving touchdowns, 3,125 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage.