The Carolina Panthers played their second preseason game on Saturday. The starters actually saw the field this time, playing a couple of possessions.
One starter who wasn't out there was running back Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard is considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury, so he was unable to go in this contest. That seemed like really bad news for Hubbard, considering Jonathon Brooks has been on his heels all summer.
With a big performance on Saturday, the Brooks hype would have gotten out of control. Thankfully for Hubbard, though, Brooks did not run away with anything.
Running Back Position Far From Settled in Carolina
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Brooks got the start on Saturday, and he was hoping to have an impressive showing. Instead, the Texas product rushed three times for just five yards.
Brooks also failed to contribute much in the pass game, catching one pass for nine yards. It was disappointing to see Brooks not do more in his debut, especially with such a big opportunity in front of him.
Granted, it wasn't all Brooks' fault. He may have been able to do more if he saw more snaps, and the blocking wasn't exactly elite in front of him. However, that explosiveness we've seen from Brooks all summer was not on display Saturday.
Before Saturday, it seemed like Brooks was going to run away with the RB1 role. Instead, it now seems obvious that Hubbard will still have his place on the roster. At the very least, he'll be reliable depth, and after what we saw Saturday, the depth isn't great.
Other Running Backs Fail to Impress as Well
Last week, we saw undrafted free agent Miles Davis put forth a nice performance. In fact, it seemed like Davis was in the lead for the RB4 spot. It would have been nice to see Davis build off of that, but he failed to do so.
Davis ended with four carries for five yards. A.J. Dillon, who's also fighting for a backup job, didn't even get a rush attempt. Trevor Etienne rushed six times for seven yards. Anthony Tyus III had 28 yards on four carries, but those numbers are inflated by a 17-yard run.
What this told us is that, without Hubard, this room is not deep. Nothing we've seen from the backups has proven to us that they could handle a large role. While Hubbard seemed like a luxury, he now seems vital.
