The Carolina Panthers will be without their superstar running back on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Christian McCaffrey, as expected, will begin what’ll likely be a multi-game absence here in Week 4 due to a hamstring strain.
He and six other Panthers have been officially ruled inactive approximately an hour and a half before kickoff. Here’s the list:
RB Christian McCaffrey
DE Yetur Gross-Matos
WR Shi Smith
G Deonte Brown
G Michael Jordan
DT Phil Hoskins
LB Clay Johnston
Starting in place of McCaffrey will be rookie Chuba Hubbard. The 2021 fourth-round pick represented himself well last Thursday in his relief appearance, totaling 79 yards from scrimmage on 14 total touches.
Gross-Matos, who did not progress through his injury well enough this week, is also down for the day. His sprained ankle kept him limited in practice and was designated as doubtful on Friday.
On Saturday, safety Kenny Robinson and running back Rodney Smith were elevated from the practice squad ahead of these inactive calls. That’ll give Carolina much needed depth in the secondary, where they’ll be carrying six cornerbacks into the contest, and a third rusher in Smith to back Hubbard and Royce Freeman.
Dallas’ list for the afternoon is headed, at least in the eyes of Panthers fans, by a familiar face . . .
QB Will Grier
DE Dorance Armstrong
DE Carlos Watkins
T Ty Nsekhe
S Donovan Wilson
WR Simi Fehoko
S Israel Mukuamu
