Re-grading Panthers position groups on offense after the 2021 season
By Noah Bryce
Carolina Panthers RBs
The simple fact that Chuba Hubbard is the cover man for this page should go to show just how this position went in 2021. Christian McCaffrey is looking more and more like a “could have been” player by the day and running behind a questionable line, which will be discussed later, did the rookie no favors during a season that saw the fourth-round pick shoulder more weight than anticipated.
McCaffrey had his usual over 100 scrimmage yards and the team was winning to start the season. Then came Week 3, and a hamstring injury heard round the world.
After that game, the Carolina Panthers went from the darling of the NFL to a laughing stock almost overnight. Hubbard struggled to find footing as the rookie and the team were running through the mud for much of the year until a late surge by the Oklahoma State product seemed to turn things around somewhat.
The stats may not show it, mostly due to the coaching, but the rookie running back really turned things up a notch late with some impressively physical runs that showed some real potential for him to be a potential starter at the NFL level.
The one major drawback is his hands. Hubbard has never really been known for his catching prowess and that showed at times during the season, which is why the Panthers brought in Ameer Abdullah to spell the rookie in the passing game.
Abdullah made little impact running the football, but having a sure-handed option out of the backfield did wonders for a team looking for any kind of spark that they could find.
- Preseason Grade: A
- Final Grade: C-
Given the issues with injury, coaching, and scheme, the Panthers running back room performed admirably, albeit below average, and may have some potential to be special in the coming years. Especially if McCaffrey can finally shake the injury bug that has hampered him over the last two seasons.
That being said, there is a lot of room for improvement where Hubbard is concerned, mostly in vision and strength. Running a bruising style in the NFL is a whole different ball game than college and the rookie learned that the hard way this season.
And lastly, Abdullah is little more than a backup option at this point, albeit a very qualified one.