It’s been an up-and-down season for the Carolina Panthers, and Sunday’s 40–9 collapse against the Buffalo Bills on their home field has pushed the team toward significant adjustments, particularly in the running back room.
With Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle splitting opportunities in Dave Canales’ evolving offense, the coaching staff appears ready to commit to a new approach. And based on recent comments, one of these backs could see his role reduced moving forward.
Dave Canales Hints at Panthers’ New Plan at Running Back
Hubbard, who signed a four-year, $33.2 million extension last year, opened the season as the Panthers’ featured back. However, after Carolina added Rico Dowdle on a one-year deal in the offseason, it was clear Hubbard wouldn’t be without competition.
Hubbard handled the bulk of the work through the first four games but struggled to separate himself. Meanwhile, Dowdle was limited to fewer than 10 carries in the first four games.
That changed when Hubbard missed Weeks 5 and 6 with an injury, giving Dowdle a window. He capitalized historically, totaling 473 scrimmage yards across those two contests, a new franchise record. He came within 17 yards of posting back-to-back 200-yard rushing games.
Despite Dowdle’s breakout, Hubbard reclaimed the majority of snaps upon returning. The results, however, were underwhelming: 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Dowdle, on nearly identical volume, doubled that production with 133 yards on 25 attempts. Now, head coach Dave Canales appears ready to elevate Dowdle to RB1.
“Chuba has meant a lot to his organization, certainly to the identity that we wanted to build our team on, and we wanted to give Chuba the opportunity to go out and continue to impact our team in a positive way,” Canales said Monday, via ESPN. “We cannot ignore that Rico has been exceptional in a couple of games, and then in the opportunities he’s had over the last two weeks.
“He’s made some excellent plays. Love the tempo and violence that he’s running with. And these are all things that we’re talking about and working through this week.”
Fans were puzzled when Hubbard was immediately handed the workload after returning from injury despite Dowdle’s momentum. However, in Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, the contrast was clear: Dowdle averaged 6.8 yards per carry (54 yards on eight attempts) while Hubbard produced 34 yards on 12 carries (2.8 YPC) with a short touchdown.
Advanced metrics tell the same story. Through eight games, Dowdle leads the Panthers with 605 rushing yards and two touchdowns, ranking as the No. 3 running back in PFSN’s RB Impact metric. Hubbard sits at 282 yards and one score, ranking 38th.
Notably, Carolina won both games with Dowdle as the starter. If he returns to that role, the Panthers would hope history repeats itself, and their season’s trajectory shifts as a result.
