McCaffrey likely will have a new backfield partner in 2018, though he could see more touches as a result of Jonathan Stewart's recent release, Max Henson of the Panthers' official website reports. "I think you do need to have that in the NFL today," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "It's tough to have one guy that just dominates a game. You have to have guys that have similar characteristics but also do something special that can separate them."
McCaffrey had nearly as many targets (113) as carries (117) in his rookie season, with 59.9 percent of his 1,086 scrimmage yards and five of his seven touchdowns coming through the air. His mark of 3.7 yards per carry may not seem to beg for an expanded role in the rushing attack, but he at least was more effective than the recently released Stewart, who managed just 3.4 yards per tote. The Panthers likely want McCaffrey to take on a portion of Stewart's vacated carries, with the rest going to Cameron Artis-Payne, a draft pick or a free-agent signing. The No. 8 overall pick from last year's draft figures to take on more work in Year 2, but a regular three-down role shouldn't be assumed.