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One of the biggest question marks for the Carolina Panthers this year is at the running back position.
For a brief time in the middle of the 2025 campaign, they had the game's most explosive rusher in Rico Dowdle—who took over as the starter after a calf injury to Chuba Hubbard. But Dowdle eventually flamed out, and Hubbard never seemed to fully recover.
Now, heading into the 2026 season, Dowdle has signed away to Pittsburgh—leaving Hubbard at the helm of the room once again. But at least one analyst believes he will be replaced once again—this time, by third-year rusher Jonathon Brooks.
Here's Alex Kay at Bleacher Report making the case:
Brooks' expected emergence was reportedly a key factor in Carolina's decision to let Dowdle walk, with the NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe revealing team brass believes Brooks is "ready to be the guy" to lead the backfield. A healthy, motivated Brooks will cement himself into the RB1 role and remain there barring another injury.
Brooks may be ready for his first real opportunity in the NFL—but it's difficult, given his recent and devastating injury history, to project how well he'll do as a pro. After effectively missing almost his first two entire seasons due to a pair of ACL tears, we have almost no basis to evaluate Brooks.
If his time at the University of Texas is any indication, though, he should have a far higher ceiling than Hubbard. Over his three-year collegiate career, Brooks displayed considerable burst and agility as well as some chops as a pass catcher.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst predicts big change in Panthers' backfield
