Nov 28, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) reacts from the field prior the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey has been one of the best running backs in the NFL when healthy, but the former Pro Bowler has played just ten games in the past two seasons.

It has been a rough stretch for him, but it seems like the Panthers still plan to build around the 25-year-old for the foreseeable future. There have been rumors this offseason about McCaffrey and what his availability may be for teams looking to trade for him. A number of teams reportedly called about him earlier this offseason, but to this point, nothing has come to fruition.

According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, the Buffalo Bills called about McCaffrey before the 2022 NFL Draft and were told that McCaffrey is “not available”

This news has many fans speculating just how much the Bills were offering for McCaffrey, and what he would look like on the high-powered Buffalo offense.

After the Panthers turned down the Bills, Buffalo decided to go out and draft rookie running back James Cook out of Georgia in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Cook has some excellent family lineage, with his brother Dalvin Cook being one of the best running backs in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bills will look for Cook to take over their backfield at some point in the foreseeable future, while the Panthers hope that McCaffrey can stay healthy and return back to his 2019 form, where he had 2,392 scrimmage yards on the year, which is third in NFL history for scrimmage yards in a season.

At his best, he is the best dual-threat running back in the NFL, but availability is the best ability in the NFL, and the Panthers could regret not trading McCaffrey if injuries continue to catch up to him.

[Joe Dolan]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.