CHARLOTTE — The Panthers placed Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve Saturday afternoon, giving their star running back three more weeks to get healthy from his recent hamstring injury.
The decision was made after the team's medical staff met Saturday to discuss the best course of action to get him fully healthy.
While placing him on IR means a minimum three-week absence, making the move Saturday means this week counts toward that total. He'll be eligible to return as soon as Week 9 against the Patriots.
McCaffrey suffered the initial injury on Sept. 23 in Houston. He practiced on a limited basis last week and Wednesday, but was held out Thursday and Friday, and was already ruled out for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
They also placed rookie guard Deonte Brown on injured reserve. He left Friday's practice with a knee issue. The sixth-rounder from Alabama was active for the first time last week.
To replace him on the roster, they signed guard Michael Jordan from the practice squad.
For the moment, that leaves them with a 52-man active roster.
The Panthers will also promote punter Ryan Winslow and running back Spencer Brown from the practice squad (standard elevations) for Sunday's game against the Vikings. Winslow was added this week after punter Joseph Charlton was placed on injured reserve.
