The Carolina Panthers have a great problem on their hands right now.
They had a starting running back in Chuba Hubbard, but Rico Dowdle has been even better as his replacement.
That’s why, instead of just benching Hubbard now that he’s back to full strength, they want to keep both of them involved, and they will look to take a page out of the Detroit Lions’ offense’s book:
“Schefter: Wanting to play both Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers have studied how the Lions and Seahawks handle their RB split,” per Underdog NFL.
Schefter: Wanting to play both Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers have studied how the Lions and Seahawks handle their RB split.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 19, 2025
Of course, we should take this with a grain of salt.
The Lions have two legitimate stars at running back in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and, with all due respect, that’s not the case with Dave Canales’ team.
Granted, Hubbard has had some big games and is an above-average starter, but Dowdle is currently playing out of his mind, and that level of play simply might not be sustainable.
He’s not going to play the Dallas Cowboys and Matt Eberflus’ defense every day.
The Panthers have looked much better than most people anticipated this season.
Not many people thought they would be sitting on the same record as the Kansas City Chiefs after six weeks, and a win on Sunday would give them the first three-game-winning streak of the Bryce Young era.
That sets the table for them to test out their new running back committee, and it’ll be interesting to see how it works out for Dave Canales.
NEXT: Nick Saban Reveals Honest Thoughts About Bryce Young