The Carolina Panthers are without their starting running back for at least the next couple weeks. Chuba Hubbard has been ruled week-to-week with a hamstring injury he suffered in Wednesday’s practice.
Head coach Dave Canales said Hubbard felt something on a routine run and was pulled immediately. Imaging showed a moderate strain. There is no structural damage, but the training staff is going to be careful, particularly given how easy hamstrings are to re-injure once they are compromised.
The timing is bad for Carolina. The Panthers were building the offense around Hubbard this year. He had a career season in 2025, running for 1,195 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 43 passes out of the backfield. He was going to be the workhorse in an offense that badly needs one.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that Carolina has depth. Rico Dowdle signed with the Panthers in the spring on a two-year deal and looked sharp in training camp before Hubbard’s injury. He is going to be the lead back until Hubbard returns. Behind him are Jonathon Brooks, who is finally back to full health after his ACL rehab, and rookie Trevor Etienne, who has flashed real explosiveness in preseason practices.
That backfield is functional. It is not what Carolina wanted. Hubbard was the guy. Dowdle is a solid rotational veteran, but he has never carried a full workload for a full season and there is a reason for that.
The bigger question is what this does to Bryce Young. The Panthers were counting on running the ball to take pressure off their third-year quarterback. Play-action was going to be a huge part of the offense. Without Hubbard, the run threat is diluted, and every defense Carolina faces early in the season is going to know it can sit back and dare Young to throw.
Young has to grow into that responsibility. He showed real progress in the second half of last season. He looks better in camp. If he can produce with a lesser running game around him for a few weeks, that is a real step in his development.
Hubbard’s timeline is uncertain but likely lands somewhere between two and four weeks. That means he could miss the preseason and possibly the first regular-season game. Carolina opens on the road against Jacksonville. That is a game they want him for. If he is not ready, Dowdle carries the load.
Hamstring injuries are a nagging class of problem. They flare up. They come back. The Panthers are not going to rush him. They also cannot afford to lose him for a longer stretch than necessary. The line the training staff has to walk is a hard one.
Fantasy managers are already scrambling. Dowdle’s stock just spiked. Hubbard’s takes a temporary hit. Real football fans in Carolina should be more worried about what this does to a Panthers offense that finally looked like it was coming together.
Get well soon, Chuba. Week 1 is closer than it feels.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
