Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is officially on the trade block. The Panthers are looking to offload the former Pro Bowler to increase their draft capital. Here are five potential landing spots:
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams in the AFC this season. Their running game has been solid with Devon Singletary. However. with quarterback Josh Allen as their leading rusher, an upgrade is obvious. McCaffrey would be a perfect fit for Buffalo. As the most dynamic pass-catching back in the league, he fits perfectly. With Stefon Diggs taking the top off defenses, there is tons of space for running backs outside the hashes and over the middle. This season the Bills’ second leading receiver is Singletary so acquiring McCaffrey to take those touches makes perfect sense. The Bills are in “Win Now” mode and this type of move is a statement to the rest of the league.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have had the worst rushing attack in the league. Whether that is o-line or running back related, McCaffrey can be the solution. He is a dangerous threat between the tackles and catching in the flats. With a more balanced offensive attack, the pass rush will slow down. This will give Stafford time to make plays downfield like last season. The Ram’s cap situation is terrible but with McCaffrey’s pay cut to roughly a one million dollar cap hit, even the Rams can fit him in.
San Francisco 49ers
Even though San Francisco has been in the top third of the league in rushing this season, it has been by committee. Their starter heading into the season, Elijah Mitchell, has been hurt since week one. Guys have filled in keeping them effective but, an upgrade would make them have a premium weapon everywhere but QB. Christian McCaffrey would be the perfect weapon for Kyle Shanahan. Opposing defensive coordinators would have nightmares about trying to cover both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle while staying home for McCaffrey. Looking to next year, pairing young QB Trey Lance with an All-Pro running back in one of the most dominant running schemes in NFL history could help him ease into the role better.
Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid is always looking for more offensive weapons. Unimpressed with his running attack so far this season, he could look to upgrade. Patrick Mahomes and the passing attack have not missed Tyreek Hill, but the space he created for the running game is a bit clogged. When they had Hill, the Chiefs would throw over the top to open up running lanes. An improvement in the position could help attack defenses differently. McCaffrey would force defenses to respect the run game and allow space to throw over the top.
Miami Dolphins
The vaunted Shanahan System was supposed to touch down in South Beach with new head coach Mike McDaniel. The wunderkind has brought the passing attack with Tyreek hill off to a blazing start, but the run game has been bottom five in the league. Bringing over Raheem Mostert from San Francisco has not helped and fresh blood is needed. Starter Tua Tagavailoa and backup Teddy Bridgewater are both suffering from concussions. Trading for McCaffrey to aid the rushing attack would give third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson a Swiss Army Knife to deploy on the ground and in the air.
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