4 Carolina Panthers players facing one final audition at the Bucs in Week 18

Chuba Hubbard – Carolina Panthers RB

This has nothing to do with Chuba Hubbard‘s status on the roster, obviously. But Sunday’s game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers represents a final chance for the rookie to prove his worth a potential feature running back moving forward.

The Carolina Panthers selected Hubbard in the fourth-round after a standout career at Oklahoma State. Christian McCaffrey’s ongoing injury problems meant the first-year pro was thrust into the spotlight much sooner than anticipated and there have been some obvious growing pains as a result.

Hubbard finds life difficult making yards after contact. Something that was a big concern regarding the player coming out of college.

There is also an ongoing complication regarding drops in the passing game. An area where the Panthers are heavily dependent on running backs making a difference.

Couple this with some blocking issues and the fact Ameer Abdullah is making noticeable strides, it’s not hard to see why Hubbard might tumble down the depth chart if Carolina decides to add someone else into the mix this offseason.

Gaining yards on the ground against Tampa Bay is a difficult proposition. Hubbard needs to show marked improvement to cement his status as the No. 2 option behind McCaffrey.