McCaffrey’s Pass-Protection Journey

Carolina Panthers News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jun 26, 2026 · 1m

Christian McCaffrey got a brutal truth bomb from his running backs coach Jake Peetz in 2019—calling him “one of the worst pass blockers in the league.” Instead of shutting down, McCaffrey took it as a challenge and worked hard. The results? His pass-blocking grade jumped to a career-best 75.5 that same season. But the improvement wasn’t lasting—grades plummeted in the years after, hitting a low of 24.6 in 2023. Peetz, meanwhile, moved on to win a Super Bowl with Seattle as their pass-game coordinator and now coaches quarterbacks. McCaffrey’s pass-protection journey had its highs and lows, but…