Tag: Miles Sanders

Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard ranked as top-25 RB from 2023 season

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard got some love from a former All-Pro rusher.

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.

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Panthers named potential landing spot for free-agent RB Austin Ekeler

Would free-agent RB Austin Ekeler be a fit for the Panthers in 2024?

Well, maybe the Carolina Panthers can take another crack at signing another running back this offseason.

Pro Football Focus salary cap analyst Brad Spielberger recently identified his best potential landing spots for this year’s top free-agent running backs. When it comes to Los Angeles Chargers standout Austin Ekeler, who is ranked as PFF’s 56th-best free agent in the NFL, Spielberger believes there could be a fit in Charlotte.

He writes:

Carolina already has a one-two punch at running back in Chuba Hubbard and 2023 free agent addition Miles Sanders, who was effectively phased out of the offense and continued to have drops at inopportune moments. Sanders’ 2024 compensation is fully guaranteed, so it’s entirely reasonable to expect the Panthers won’t spend the limited resources they have at running back again. However, this would represent getting Bryce Young his Jahmyr Gibbs equivalent from his college days — a reliable check-down outlet who can take a ton of pressure off Young.

As Spielberger notes, the 2023 campaign wasn’t exactly a fantastic one for last spring’s big signing. Sanders hit career-lows in starts (five), attempts (129) and rushing yards (432) while averaging 3.3 yards per carry—the third-lowest in the NFL amongst all qualifying players.

Heck, Ekeler wasn’t in peak form either. He averaged a career-low 3.5 yards an attempt while scoring just six touchdowns—a steep decline from his 18 scores in 2022 and 20 in 2021.

But could the Panthers ignite their offense by taking a relatively cheap gamble on a proven pass-catching threat?

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Miles Sanders on disappointing 2023 season: ‘I’m pissed off’

Panthers RB Miles Sanders isn’t feeling great about his 2023 season.

No one within the Carolina Panthers organization should be happy with what went down this past season, especially running back Miles Sanders.

The soon-to-be sixth-year veteran isn’t looking back too fondly on his fifth year, as evidenced by this Instagram post on Wednesday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2NmHelg5mK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Sanders was fresh off a career campaign heading into 2023—as he had notched career-highs in rushing attempts (259), rushing yards (1,269) and touchdowns (11) for the then-NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. That output helped land the former second-round pick a four-year, $25.4 million deal from the Panthers last spring.

But what followed that pricey pact was the worst season of Sanders’ NFL tenure. The 26-year-old, who scored just one touchdown, hit lows in starts (five), attempts (129) and rushing yards (432) while averaging 3.3 yards per carry—the third-lowest in the NFL amongst all qualifying players.

The disappointing campaign gave way to a standout one from third-year back Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard led the team with 238 carries, 902 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 16 loss to Packers

For the second consecutive week, Panthers QB Bryce Young posted a new career-high PFF grade.

The numbers were up for the Carolina Panthers in their Week 16 matchup against the Green Bay Packers—for better and for worse.

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades from the 33-30 loss:

Studs and duds from Panthers’ Week 16 loss to Packers

DJ Chark (doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo) did his thing in Week 16.

The Carolina Panthers gave us a Christmas Eve thrill on Sunday, nearly completing two improbable fourth-quarter comebacks on the visiting Green Bay Packers. But, it was simply not to be.

Let’s cover the studs and duds from the heartbreaking 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 15 win over Falcons

For the first time in 2023, Bryce Young has earned PFF’s highest offensive grade for the Panthers.

Did Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young just quietly have his coming-out party?

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades for the Week 15 win over the Atlanta Falcons:

Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 15 win over Falcons

For the first time in 2023, Bryce Young has earned PFF’s highest offensive grade for the Panthers.

Did Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young just quietly have his coming-out party?

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades for the Week 15 win over the Atlanta Falcons:

Top takeaways from Panthers’ snap counts in Week 14 loss to Saints

Cade Mays stepped in and stepped up for the Panthers in Week 14.

Somehow, we’ve found a way to shed a positive light on yet another Carolina Panthers loss.

Here are three (encouraging) takeaways from the snap counts in Week 14’s defeat to the New Orleans Saints:

Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 14 loss to Saints

Panthers RB Miles Sanders earned his highest PFF grade of the season for his efficient Week 14 performance.

The Carolina Panthers recorded a grand total of zero touchdowns in their 28-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. But, in a bit of a surprise, a few of their offensive players impressed the film buffs.

Oh, and some didn’t.

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades from the Week 14 defeat: