Bottom Line

Hubbard has given us little to get excited about.

If you’re into a handcuff RB with a low ceiling, then he’s available. But you can almost definitely find better.

What We Learned Last Year

• Hubbard sports very limited upside. He indicated as much with a lackluster rookie season, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and 7.0 per catch when pressed into expanded duty by Christian McCaffrey injuries. That Panthers team even acquired Ameer Abdullah in-season to shift primary backfield receiving work away from Hubbard.
• Hubbard’s efficiency improved in Year 2: 4.9 yards per rush and 12.2 per catch. But the same Panthers staff limited his work further.
  • Hubbard averaged just 6.3 carries and 0.9 receptions per game for the season, despite the Panthers trading McCaffrey away after six games.
  • Even in his nine games without McCaffrey, Hubbard averaged just 9.9 carries and 1.4 receptions.
  • D’Onta Foreman beat Hubbard by 5.0 touches per game for the year. And Carolina liked him so much that it let him walk for a modest one-year deal with the Bears in free agency.
• To be fair: Hubbard also improved his advanced metrics. Among 61 RBs with at least 70 carries:
  • He ranked 21st in Pro Football Focus rushing grade.
  • He tied for just 43rd in yards after contact per carry but did improve vs. 2021.
  • He tied for 38th in elusive rating, up from 47th in 2021.
• The Panthers’ O-line performed well, ranking ninth in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards.

What to Expect in 2023

• Carolina gave Miles Sanders the biggest contract of any RB who didn’t get the franchise tag. HC Frank Reich has since called him a three-down back.
• That clearly positions Hubbard as no more than the clear No. 2, and likely well behind Sanders.
• If the Panthers don’t add a veteran this offseason, that should still position Hubbard for handcuff upside in an offense that improved at QB and replaced its coaching staff with a much more experienced NFL head man.