• Chuba Hubbard is finally the Panthers' clear lead back: The fourth-year NFL running back has kept his legs churning amid crowded backfields in Carolina.
• Hubbard enjoyed arguably the best game of his career in Week 10: He ran the ball a career-high 29 times for 157 yards and a touchdown, helping spearhead the Panthers’ 20-17 overtime victory over the Giants.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Chuba Hubbard was never on radars to be a starting NFL running back.
Despite standing out at Oklahoma State, he wasn’t rated highly among NFL draft pundits. He fell to the 127th overall selection, drafted by a Carolina Panthers team that already had the elite Christian McCaffrey on its roster.
Chuba Hubbard's Career PFF Grades
McCaffrey played only seven games due to injury that season, though, opening the door for Hubbard to lead the team in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns as a rookie. Midway through the 2022 season, the Panthers traded McCaffrey to the 49ers for four draft picks, although Hubbard didn't seize the opportunity to establish himself as the lead back in Charlotte.
Hubbard was once again relegated to backup duties to start the 2023 season after Carolina signed Miles Sanders in free agency. But this time, Hubbard truly eclipsed the runner ahead of him on the depth chart. He almost doubled Sanders in rushing attempts and more than doubled him in rushing yards. On 240 carries, Hubbard ran for 919 yards and five touchdowns with a 79.4 PFF rushing grade.
The Panthers were still the first team to select a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Texas standout Jonathon Brooks with the 46th overall pick even though Brooks suffered a torn ACL late in the 2023 college season and would not be ready for the start of the regular season. This gave Hubbard a window of opportunity to show he belonged in an RB1 role.
Through 10 games in 2024, Hubbard has more than stepped up to the challenge.
Despite Carolina being 3-7 and at times looking like the worst team in football, Hubbard has been one of the few bright spots. Through Week 10, Hubbard’s 818 rushing yards trail only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, two backs who are heavily favored to win Offensive Player of the Year. Hubbard’s 86.3 PFF rushing grade ranks sixth among running backs and fourth when restricting the sample to those with at least 100 attempts.
Highest-Graded Running Backs Through Week 10
Hubbard has also been very hard to bring down, as his 580 yards after contact trail only Henry and Josh Jacobs. He averages 3.6 yards after contact per rush, which ranks third among running backs with at least 100 attempts. Hubbard has also forced 30 missed tackles on the season, tying four other backs for the ninth most in the league.
In Week 10 in Germany, Hubbard had perhaps his best game as a pro. He ran the ball a career-high 29 times for 157 yards and a touchdown, helping spearhead the Panthers’ 20-17 overtime victory over the Giants. Heading into the 2024 season, Hubbard had eclipsed 100 yards in a game only three times in his career and never more than once in a season. He has already done so three times this year, with another two games going over 90.
Hubbard has overcome obstacles every step of the way through his four NFL seasons. From getting drafted into a running back room that already featured Christian McCaffrey, to losing his starting job to D’Onta Foreman, to Miles Sanders being signed to start over him to potentially being overthrown by the top rookie running back in Jonathon Brooks, Hubbard has been through the wringer.
All that effort and perseverance was recently rewarded.
The fourth-year running back recently signed a four-year, $33.2 million deal with $16.4 million guaranteed, making him the ninth-highest-paid running back in football by average annual value, even more than Derrick Henry’s current deal in Baltimore. If Hubbard continues to play like he has through the first half of the 2024 season, the Panthers won’t have to worry about their ground game for the foreseeable future.
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