After splitting carries in the backfield with Chuba Hubbard for the past two weeks, Rico Dowdle will start this week for the Carolina Panthers against the Green Bay Packers and be the team’s featured back, league sources said Friday.
The Panthers are 1-1 since Hubbard returned from a calf strain. In the two games before Hubbard’s return, Dowdle put together the most prolific two-game stretch in Panthers history, with a combined 389 rushing yards and 473 scrimmage yards in wins over Miami and Dallas. Dowdle’s 239 scrimmage yards against Dallas broke Christian McCaffrey’s team record of 237, and he became just the sixth back in the Super Bowl era with at least 225 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in consecutive games.
Panthers RB Rico Dowdle will start and get the bulk of the carries Sunday at Green Bay, per league sources. But I’d expect Chuba Hubbard to be part of the offense, as well.
Dave Canales strongly suggested this would be the case at the start of the week.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 31, 2025
In Carolina’s 13-6 win in New York against the Jets two weeks ago, Hubbard returned to the starting lineup and ran 14 times for 31 yards, while Dowdle totaled 79 yards on 17 carries. Then last week, in the 40-9 loss to Buffalo, Hubbard gained 34 yards on 12 attempts with a late TD run and Dowdle ran eight times for 54 yards.
“The goal is to make sure we put the right guys out there. That’s my job. So I really have to look at that and evaluate it and make the best decision for the Panthers collectively,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said earlier this week. “I have to make sure I keep it about the football. At the same time, I’ve had a good amount of experience with Chuba and I’ve seen Chuba at his best. And now we’ve seen Rico at his best.”
The Panthers signed Dowdle in the offseason after the former South Carolina back spent his first five NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He had his best season in 2024 when he ran for 1,079 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile, Hubbard and the Panthers agreed to a four-year, $33.2 million extension in November 2024. Hubbard ran for 902 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 and last season totaled 1,195 rushing yards and 10 TDs.
This season, Dowdle leads Carolina with 605 yards on 106 carries (5.7 yards per attempt) with two TDs and Hubbard has 282 yards on 79 carries (3.6 ypa) and one touchdown.