The Carolina Panthers lost one of their major running backs in the legal tampering period to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rico Dowdle is headed to the Steel City after losing his firm grip on the starting role in Carolina. Now, Chuba Hubbard will have his chance to prove why he was paid to be the starter originally. Take a look at the depth chart for Carolina’s backfield heading into next season.
Carolina Panthers RB Depth Chart
Chuba Hubbard
The Panthers will be going back to their beginning-of-the-season starter in Hubbard. The Panthers signed Hubbard to a four-year, $33,200,000 contract in November 2024. Hubbard lost his starting job to Dowdle while he was injured, and Dowdle took off with multiple games of over 200+ scrimmage yards. Hubbard is going to be the workhorse in 2026, though.
Hubbard ranked 42nd in PFSN’s RB Impact score with a grade of 51.6. This is largely due to the lack of playing time that Hubbard received following Dowdle’s emergence. Now, it’s his job to lose once again.
Jonathon Brooks
Brooks is an interesting case for the Panthers. He was a second-round pick in 2024 and missed a large amount of his rookie season with an injury. He only racked up nine carries in three games in 2024 and tallied 22 yards. The 2024 season was cut short by another ACL tear that kept him out of the entire 2025 season. He has no true NFL experience and will be a lottery ticket for Carolina heading into next season.
He was a highly coveted running back when he was drafted, but injuries have played a pivotal role in his lack of production. The Panthers will hope he can help out Hubbard and emerge as a key piece of the offense.
Trevor Etienne
Etienne is the brother of the new Saints running back, Travis Etienne. Trevor was drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and only chipped in 20 carries for the Panthers in 2025. His 20 carries were good for 94 yards, and he also had three catches for 13 yards. Trevor might see some action similar to 2025, but won’t see too many carries unless an injury happens to Brooks or Hubbard.
Montrell Johnson Jr.
Johnson signed with the Panthers’ practice squad. It’s safe to say that he likely won’t be a major contributor to Carolina next season. Johnson racked up over 3,000 rushing yards in his four-year college career at Louisiana and Florida. He’s bounced around a couple of other practice squads (Eagles and Cardinals) before landing in Carolina.
