If you thought Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard would be considered a top-25 player at his position by the end of 2023, it might be time for you to go play the lottery.
Former All-Pro rusher and current NFL.com analyst Maurice Jones-Drew just ranked each of the league’s 72 running backs who started at least one game this past season. In at No. 25 is Hubbard, who definitely didn’t start the year in that high of a regard.
Jones-Drew writes:
Hubbard went from backup to supplanting Miles Sanders as the Panthers’ RB1 in October, ultimately leading the team in carries and rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The third-year pro was a bright spot in an otherwise-disappointing offense, and he should be excited about the addition of head coach Dave Canales for 2024.
2023 marked the second time in three seasons Hubbard has led the Panthers in rushing. Over 12 starts, he ran for 902 yards and five scores on 238 carries—all career-highs for the third-year back.
Those 12 starts came at the expense of Sanders, who had himself the worst campaign of his pro tenure. The fifth-year rusher, fresh off signing a four-year, $25.4 million deal last spring, recorded lows attempts (129) and rushing yards (432) while averaging 3.3 yards per carry—the third-lowest in the NFL amongst all qualifying players.
Sanders ranked 49th on Jones-Drew’s list.
