Panthers' Christian McCaffrey: Could push for 200 carries

Panthers coach Ron Rivera won't be surprised if McCaffrey reaches 200 carries this season, ESPN.com's David Newton reports.

McCaffrey ranked third on the Panthers with 117 carries as a rookie, while his 113 targets tied Devin Funchess for the team lead. Carolina signed C.J. Anderson as a replacement for Jonathan Stewart (Giants) this offseason, and while CJA may actually be an upgrade, that doesn't mean he'll take on all of Stewart's 198 carries from last year. Rivera and new offensive coordinator Norv Turner seem to think their second-year back is ready for a larger rushing workload, with Rivera pointing to McCaffrey's success running between the tackles at Stanford. Anderson and Cam Newton seem like better bets for goal-line and short-yardage work, but it won't come as any surprise if McCaffrey pushes for 10-15 carries per game without sacrificing many targets, if any. There is some cause to doubt his efficiency, considering he managed just 3.7 yards per carry last year and the Panthers lost standout LG Andrew Norwell to Jacksonville during the offseason.