The easiest way to forget how good veteran running back Chuba Hubbard can be is to look only at last season. He rushed for just 511 yards and one touchdown on 134 carries, but it didn't stop the Carolina Panthers from winning the NFC South.
Hubbard also dealt with a calf injury during the year and eventually lost his starting role to Rico Dowdle. He is now on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Oklahoma State product is healthy.
When he was healthy in 2024, Hubbard ran for 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just 15 games. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry while also catching 43 passes for 171 receiving yards and another score.
Chuba Hubbard still has an important role to play for the Carolina Panthers
That’s even crazier considering Carolina started that season 1-7 and was outscored by 147 points over those first eight contests. Hubbard still became one of the league's most productive running backs, and the Panthers rewarded him with a new deal.
The Panthers' current running back situation should also give him a path to a whole lot of touches.
Jonathon Brooks is expected to have a role, while veteran A.J. Dillon provides another option. Even so, Hubbard remains central to the Panthers' plans.
Carolina's own reporting recently described Hubbard and Brooks as expected to be ready for Week 1, while Dillon is competing for his role in the rotation. That dynamic may have changed.
Brooks has missed multiple practices recently with what Dave Canales has described as general soreness. The head coach previously said he was "very optimistic" that the former Texas star would be available for Week 1. Still, the continued absences create at least some uncertainty heading into Carolina's opener against the Chicago Bears.
That could put even more responsibility on Hubbard early in the season.
Even if Brooks is healthy, Hubbard should have a huge role. The Panthers have no reason to completely abandon the player who rushed for nearly 1,200 yards two seasons ago. Not when his teammate has spent the best part of two years on the shelf.
Hubbard will have to stay healthy — he’s been dealing with hamstring issues this offseason — and consistently produce to show he can handle a significant workload again. But that's exactly why 2026 is so important.
The 2021 fourth-round selection doesn't have to go out there and convince anyone that he has never struggled. The 2025 season happened. Hubbard just needs to show that it wasn't the best version of him.
The Panthers have already seen what Hubbard can look like when he's healthy and given the opportunity to be a major part of the offense.
Now it's on him to remind everyone else.
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