NFL insider confirms suspicion regarding how the Panthers’ backfield will look between Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard
The Carolina Panthers have an interesting decision to handle with the RB position moving forward.
The Carolina Panthers have found something in running back Rico Dowdle, even though he was a starting-caliber back last season for the Dallas Cowboys, totaling over 1,000 yards.
Yet, no team prioritized him on the open market until the Panthers came around and offered him a one-year, $2.75 million contract. It only took two games as a starter for Dowdle to exceed that value and prove to other teams what they missed out on.
Now, with starting running back Chuba Hubbard expected to return as soon as Week 7 from a calf injury, what becomes of the Panthers’ backfield is a legitimate question. And on Wednesday, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler weighed in on what he expects to happen.
Panthers’ backfield will have some changes, but Chuba Hubbard will remain a focal point
“The Panthers want to be a run-first team, and since it’s a long season, they will need both players. But the rotations will inevitably change due to Dowdle’s star turn. Dowdle said the previous setup was that Hubbard got the first two series and Dowdle would get the third. Expect Carolina to tweak that to accommodate the prowess of both players. Hubbard rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so he will remain a focal point.” – ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
This is the logical expectation. Hubbard should still be a focal point of this offense despite what Dowdle showed over the last two games as the team’s workhorse. But that doesn’t mean head coach Dave Canales will just throw Dowdle back to the sidelines with a limited role.
“That’s a great question,” Canales said on Sunday when asked about the backfield split. “We’re going to figure that part out, but I know Rico is doing a great job, and he will be a part of what we’re doing.”
When asked about the question again on Monday, Canales simply said: “We’ll see.”
The split the Panthers used at the beginning of the season did not work, nor did it tailor to the strengths of both players. Hubbard and Dowdle excel the more carries they get in a game, so the desire to lean more into a run-first offense once Hubbard is back makes sense.
During the first four weeks of the season, the Panthers ranked 21st in rushing attempts with 102 while having Hubbard and Dowdle. In the last two games, the Panthers ran the ball 70 times, easily the most in the league in that span. I’d expect that to continue.
The other thing is that the run blocking has improved over the last two weeks, creating literal highways for Dowdle to run through, which has been a big factor in his success as a starter. If those two things continue, both players should be factors in this offense and take a lot of pressure off quarterback Bryce Young and the passing game.
As for the actual split, I still see the team giving Dowdle a higher percentage of snaps/touches than Hubbard on Sunday, with Hubbard still working his way back. Still, the overall split will be closer to 50/50 than it was in the first four weeks.
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