Christian McCaffrey's time away could be over very soon.
McCaffrey (hamstring) was officially limited in Thursday's practice, according to the team's injury report. The running back told reporters he feels "great" and believes he has a chance to play this week, according to team reporter Darin Gantt.
McCaffrey has been out of commission since Carolina's Week 3 win over Houston, suffering a hamstring injury that caused him to pull up lame during a play in the Thursday night affair. He was expected to miss roughly three weeks, but with the additional time afforded to him by the date of the injury, he might be able to return sooner.
There's cause for caution when dealing with McCaffrey injuries due to his history. The running back suffered a high ankle sprain that knocked him out of action in Week 2 last season and didn't return until Week 9. In his first game back, he suffered a shoulder injury that ultimately landed him on the sideline for the rest of the season.
Then again, a team will certainly give a player a significant voice in determining his health status. The hope is McCaffrey isn't rushing himself back to help his Panthers, who were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten last week in a 36-28 loss to Dallas.
If all goes well, Carolina could get its best player back ahead of schedule. The Panthers face the Philadelphia Eagles in Charlotte this weekend.
