Even if it’s at his expense, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is invested in his team’s success.
On Monday, head coach Dave Canales hinted at the possibility of tweaking the offense’s ground attack. Given the recent success of Rico Dowdle, as well as the struggles of Hubbard, Canales stated that the Panthers could be looking into less of a split—with the workload favoring the former.
Hubbard, who’s in his fifth season with the organization, was asked about the carry distribution between himself and Dowdle moving forward.
“Whether it’s 70-30, 50-50, 100 my way or 100 Rico’s way – whatever it is, my focus is winning,” Hubbard said, via Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer. “Obviously this has been a topic of conversation for the last few weeks. But my main focus is never solely about me. It’s always about the team and winning games.
“So like I said, I pride myself on my work, and just helping my team get what needs to be done. And whatever that looks like, l’ve always been committed to that since l’ve been in Carolina. So that’s where my mind’s been.”
The last two games have seen Hubbard and Dowdle alternate series. That approach has yielded 65 yards on 26 carries (2.5 yards per attempt) for Hubbard and 133 yards on 25 carries (5.3 yards per attempt) for Dowdle.
Prior to Carolina’s two-back strategy, Hubbard was sidelined in Weeks 5 and 6 due to a calf strain. In Hubbard’s absence, Dowdle amassed 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in a pair of victories.
Hubbard signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension with the Panthers last season.
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