When Chuba Hubbard was forced to miss the Carolina Panthers' game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, it finally provided running back Rico Dowdle with an opportunity to showcase what he could do from a prominent role. To say he maximized it would be a massive understatement.
Dowdle is the talk of the entire NFL after his mesmerizing run of dominance over the last two weeks. He gained 206 rushing yards versus the Dolphins. He broke the franchise record for yards from scrimmage versus his old team, the Dallas Cowboys. It's been nothing short of sensational from the South Carolina product, and the Panthers officially formed an identity on offense along the way.
This is exactly what the Panthers needed at the perfect time. It's spearheaded a better run of results, and Carolina needs to keep riding this wave even when Hubbard is healthy enough to participate. Dowdle is making a case that Dave Canales and his staff can't ignore, which is a nice problem for the head coach to have.
Carolina Panthers' running back dynamic could shift after Rico Dowdle's surge
Fans are already speculating about what this could mean for Carolina's running back dynamic moving forward. Switching Dowdle into the secondary role he adopted earlier in the campaign wouldn't be wise with momentum so high. But whatever the coaching staff decides, quarterback Bryce Young is confident that both backs will do whatever it takes for the Panthers' surprising surge to continue.
"I'm super confident. The great thing is those are two guys that want to win. Chuba is a leader on this team. He's huge for us. He always will be same. Rico does a great job of doing all the things you've seen. So at the end of the day we want to win. We want to do whatever it takes to win, and they're always—they're close, they're always supporting each other, they're always having each other's back and, whatever it takes for us to win, I know we'll all do."Bryce Young via Panthers.com
This is all part of the Panthers' culture shift coming to life under Canales' guidance. Everyone is bought in. Everyone is pulling in the same direction, working hard for each other in pursuit of one common goal.
If that means Hubbard splitting reps evenly with Dowdle, it's a small price to pay for progress.
Should Dowdle continue at his current rate, the Panthers could also offer him a contract extension ahead of time. Dan Morgan paid Hubbard. They also have rookie fourth-rounder Travis Etienne and luckless 2024 second-rounder Jonathon Brooks on the books. But in all honesty, Carolina has to ride the hot hand in the short and long term.
It'll be fascinating to see how this shakes out. But make no mistake, Canales finally has the tools to bring his offensive ethos to life.