And the Panthers were able to move the ball on the ground throughout the year, even before Young's second-half renaissance.
They were 18th in the league in rushing last year, with Hubbard eclipsing the 1,000-yard barrier for the first time in his career. That's a considerable achievement, especially since their last-in-the-league defense allowed an all-time record in points, meaning they spent most of the season behind, and not in favorable situations to run the ball.
Adding Dowdle (26) to Hubbard in the backfield gives the Panthers the ability to keep that emphasis, and Canales [exulted in having a pair of "war daddies" he can count on](https://www.panthers.com/news/notebook-war-daddies-in-the-backfield-annual-meetings-rules-changes).
The Panthers now have two of last year's top 20 in the league in yards from scrimmage, as both Hubbard (1,366 total, 1,195 rushing) and Dowdle (1,328 total, 1,079 rushing) are coming off career years.
That creates some space for the passing game to continue to evolve.
With Legette, Coker, and Sanders, the Panthers were the only team in the league with three players in the top 15 of rookie receiving yards (Legette 497, Coker 478, Sanders 342). While they're constantly linked to speculation about receivers and could still add there in the draft, [Canales said he believes Legette can turn into "that guy" to lead the group](https://www.panthers.com/news/dave-canales-xavier-legette-can-be-that-guy-wide-receiver-dk-metcalf).
"Let's just take the next step with him," Canales said. "Let's see what Jalen can do. We know who Adam is, so I love the guys that we have, you know, and I'm excited about this year."