The Carolina Panthers are expecting big things from their running back room this season. And head coach Dave Canales dropped a not-so-subtle hint about how he plans to use one of the team's most underrated signings in 2025.
Chuba Hubbard will lead the charge. He's the bellcow and franchise cornerstone after the Panthers gave him a four-year extension last season. But the former fourth-round selection couldn't shoulder the burden alone.
Dan Morgan also recognized this fact. He released Miles Sanders and placed luckless second-round pick Jonathon Brooks on the physically unable to perform list. The Panthers spent the No. 114 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft on Trevor Etienne, but the free-agent signing of Rico Dowdle brought the most intrigue.
Carolina Panthers subtly revealed potential plan for Rico Dowdle in 2025
Dowdle is coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season with the Dallas Cowboys. The Panthers didn't believe he was in their price range initially, but they placed a call to find out for sure. After receiving a positive response, a deal was agreed upon quickly.
Hubbard and Dowdle are expected to form a prolific tandem. How the dynamic shakes out remains to be seen, but there was an early clue during Carolina's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.
NFL analyst Dwain McFarland from Fantasy Life crunched the numbers and found something interesting. Dowdle was on the field for 57 percent of the routes with Carolina's starting unit. He got all the work in third-and-long situations. Considering the struggles Hubbard's had in the passing game throughout his career, it seems the plan has changed.
Chuba Hubbard
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) August 11, 2025
Was not an efficient receiver out of the backfield last year.
Rico Dowdle handled 57% of the routes with the starters in Week 1 of the preseason. Handled third-and-long.
Panthers should be better so maybe this won't matter but def worth monitoring.
It might be nothing, but it's well worth monitoring in the coming weeks and when the regular season begins.
Dowdle evolved as a pass-catcher out of the backfield over his final two years in Dallas, gaining 56 receptions from 71 targets for 393 receiving yards and five touchdowns. This would add a different strength for the Panthers in key situations. It would also allow Etienne to develop gradually before potentially making a bigger impression later in the campaign.
The more security quarterback Bryce Young has, the better. Carolina hasn't benefited from a genuine pass-catching running back since Christian McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Asking Dowdle to replicate those numbers is a stretch, but it's got the scope to be an upgrade on anything the offense has had since the All-Pro's departure.
This is an extra wrinkle for fans to keep a close eye on. And if Dowdle can become impactful in this critical discipline, it'll be a game-changer in no uncertain terms.