The Carolina Panthers surprised some people when they went out and added Miles Sanders in free agency. Sanders will be the RB1 in Carolina and it will be exciting to watch him be the true No. 1 as his former Eagles squad really mixed things up with carries. Itās a new era in Carolina and Sanders should have a big role in the new offense.
Panthers starting running back: Miles Sanders
In 2022, Sanders had the best season of his career. He had 259 carries for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Everything on the ground was the highest of his career. He did have the worst receiving year of his career as he had 20 receptions for 78 yards. Kenneth Gainwell was the primary receiving back.
Expect the Panthers to rely on Sanders for a significant workload. Bryce Young has already been announced as the starting quarterback. The Panthers will want to make his job easier and let the reliable running back take much more of the workload.
Who is Sandersā backup on the Panthers RB depth chart?
Chuba Hubbard will be the RB2 in Carolina the season. Many thought he could be RB1 before free agency. Hubbardās numbers to a step back this season. Christian McCaffrey was traded after six games and Hubbard was expected to step up. Instead, DāOnta Foreman was the RB1 without McCaffrey and almost rushed for 1,000 yards. Hubbard had weeks of looking like an RB1, but would follow it up rushing for less than 20 yards.
Hubbard rushed for 466 yards and two touchdowns on 95 carries. These were all career-lows. There is a chance Hubbard plays a big role as RB2. Running backs usually have big years while there is a rookie quarterback at the helm. Behind Hubbard, the Panthers have Raheem Blackshear who had just 23 carries for 77 yards in 2022. I expect him to be RB3 in Carolina again with another reserved role.
