The Carolina Panthers want to keep leaning on the run, but the backfield they’re bringing into 2026 doesn’t look built to carry that plan very far.
Under Dave Canales, Carolina has been a run-first offense, and that isn’t expected to change even after losing Rico Dowdle in free agency. The approach is part of the team’s identity, and with Bryce Young entering a key year, Canales is likely to keep him away from as many bad situations as possible. The problem is simple: the Panthers don’t have a strong running back room.
That puts even more pressure on Young, who already faces the toughest schedule of defenses in the NFL, needs to earn a contract extension, and is defending a division title. Now he’s also working behind a backfield that looks shaky at best.
Warren Sharp of Sharp Analysis ranked Carolina’s running backs 29th in the league, a drop from 22nd after Dowdle’s departure. As Sharp wrote, "Carolina's running backs fell to 29th from 22nd, remaining a clear weakness.
Last year’s leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, left for Pittsburgh in the offseason, leaving Chuba Hubbard as the top back once again. Hubbard ran for nearly 1,200 yards in 2024, but struggled behind Dowdle last year, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry."
There is some context there. Hubbard’s dip could be tied to health, since he was banged up early and Dowdle seized the opportunity before Hubbard returned. Once he was back, he never quite looked the same and wound up in a backup role.
Still, the concern is fair. Hubbard has shown he can be productive, but there’s no guarantee he gets back to his 2024 form, and there’s no Dowdle to bail him out if he doesn’t.
The depth behind him doesn’t inspire much confidence either. Jonathon Brooks, Trevor Etienne, and AJ Dillon are the next names up, and none of them looks like a reassuring safety net.
Dillon may not even make the roster, and he hasn’t been a meaningful NFL running back since 2022. Etienne is more of a return man, and he hasn’t proven anything as a runner.
Brooks is coming off his second torn ACL in 13 months.
If Hubbard gets hurt or simply doesn’t produce, there’s little evidence one of those options can come close to replacing what Dowdle gave Carolina in 2025. And while 29th may feel a little harsh - Hubbard was nearly a Pro Bowl back in 2024, and Brooks would have been a first-round talent without the injury concerns - this is still not a backfield that should make anyone comfortable.
That matters because Young has not shown he can single-handedly drag an offense to a high level for long stretches, and the Panthers still want their identity to run through the ground game.
On the other side of the ball, Carolina did bolster the defense enough to shift more of the team’s talent there. So even if the offense sputters, the Panthers may still be able to lean on that side of the roster to find some success.
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Cam Newton Sounds Off After Troubling News About Former NFL Star
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On his podcast, Cam Newton focused less on nostalgia and more on what comes next for the NFL and the people who played in it. Newton said he is very intrigued to see how the league responds and what its plan is to make the game safer while better protecting former players, a question that has only grown louder as more ex-NFL players have dealt with ALS. For Carolina fans, it was a reminder that the conversation around footballs toll does not end when a players career does. [Read more 🡒]