Hubbard is coming off a Week 16 efficiency the place he rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns en path to NFC Offensive Participant of the Week honors. The RB popped up on the damage report this week with a knee damage, and whereas there was some optimism that he’d play Sunday, the Panthers are actually shutting him down for good.
The previous fourth-round decide began his profession as a backup to Christian McCaffrey, however it didn’t take lengthy for the fill-in to work his approach into the beginning lineup. Hubbard ended up beginning 10 of his 17 appearances as a rookie, however he completed with solely 786 yards from scrimmage. When McCaffrey was traded throughout the 2022 season, Hubbard discovered himself behind D’Onta Foreman on the depth chart, and the crew introduced in Miles Sanders in 2023 to assist break up the positional reps.
Hubbard ended up rising as the popular RB in 2023, however he nonetheless solely completed with 1,135 yards from scrimmage whereas averaging 4.1 yards per contact. When the Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks within the second spherical of this yr’s draft, it appeared possible that Hubbard would maintain the seat heat till the rookie was able to return from a torn ACL.
As a substitute, Hubbard ended up operating with the beginning gig. The fourth-year RB has began all 15 video games for Carolina this season, and he’s already set career-highs in yards from scrimmage (1,366) and touchdowns (11). Because of this manufacturing, the Panthers handed him a four-year, $33.2M extension ($15M assured) in November.
Brooks tore the identical ACL earlier this month, leaving his standing for 2025 doubtful. Hubbard ought to be again to steer the depth chart subsequent season, however the Panthers may use the following few weeks to guage their backup choices. Raheem Blackshear may briefly slide to the highest of the depth chart, with Velus Jones Jr. additionally round as depth.
