5 harsh realities facing Carolina Panthers ahead of Week 3 vs. Saints
By Luke Gray
Chuba Hubbard might not be good enough
If Chuba Hubbard is called into Matt Rhule’s office at any point this week, the former Oklahoma State man may have a bit of a sweat on. The 2021 fourth-round round pick had a day to forget on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, fumbling a kick returning to begin proceedings and almost coughing another one up later in the contest.
Hubbard is in danger of becoming an afterthought in this Ben McAdoo offense. After logging just a single carry in Week 1, the running back wasn’t utilized at the New York Giants and with a healthy Christian McCaffrey and D’Onta Foreman also competing for reps, his plight looks bleak.
After his horror show on kick returns, Rhule said it was “up for debate” as to whether the Carolina Panthers would deploy another kick returner. With the recently acquired Laviska Shenault Jr. having experience in this area during his time on the Jacksonville Jaguars, don’t be surprised to see Hubbard relieved of his return duties.
While being a solid runner with good speed, Hubbard’s vision has been questioned as well as his lack of consistency in the passing game. Unfortunately, with the injury issues surrounding McCaffrey, the Panthers may be reluctant to part ways despite reportedly signing Raheem Blackshear to their 53-man roster.
Just what this means for Hubbard is unclear. But one suspects it’s highly likely he’ll be the odd man out if the Panthers opt to move forward with three running backs in the wake of Blackshear’s arrival.