Bryce Young Has a Secret Weapon Nobody Is Talking About

If you asked me who Bryce Young's best target has been this season, I'd say Tetairoa McMillan. After watching him catch 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit, I don't think I'd have to think about it very long.

Then I saw something from PFF that caught me off guard. Young has a 138.1 passer rating when targeting Chuba Hubbard this season, which ranks 14th among 152 qualifying quarterback-pass catcher combinations with at least 10 targets.

I'll be honest, Hubbard wasn't even close to the first guy I would've guessed.

Maybe I've Been Looking at Hubbard the Wrong Way

Oct 4, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs for yardage against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I've written about Hubbard plenty this season, and most of the time it's been about the same thing: Give him the ball. I've wondered why Carolina has gotten away from the running game at times, and after Hubbard ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit, I probably won't stop talking about it anytime soon.

But I really haven't paid much attention to what he's doing when Young throws him the ball.

Hubbard has caught 10 of his 11 targets for 84 yards and two touchdowns through four games. It's only 11 targets, so we're not talking about a huge sample. Still, a 138.1 passer rating when Young goes his way is pretty hard for me to ignore. The EPA/play is highest when targeting Hubbard, too.

Maybe Carolina needs to find a few more ways to use him there. I'm not talking about turning Hubbard into a receiver or doing anything crazy. Get him the ball underneath, give him some room, and let him do what he does.

We just watched what can happen when Carolina gets Hubbard going against Detroit. The nice thing about using him in the passing game is Young doesn't have to make some difficult throw down the field for it to work. Sometimes it's just getting the ball out of his hands and letting Hubbard do the rest.

Young could probably use a little more of that.

When Did Young Get This Many Options?

That's where I started thinking about this a little differently, because Hubbard isn't really the story by himself.

Look at who Young has around him now. McMillan looks every bit like a No. 1 receiver through four games. Jalen Coker had eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Chicago, and Darren Waller has already shown he can give Young another option around the end zone.

Now Hubbard is sitting there as one of Young's most efficient targets.

I don't remember having this problem with Young before. For most of his career, we've spent our time asking whether Carolina had given him enough help. I know I've asked it plenty, and there were Sundays when it felt like Young had to make something happen even when there wasn't much happening around him.

I don't think we can say that anymore.

Young has thrown for 1,268 yards and nine touchdowns through four games. He's playing better football, and I'm not taking anything away from what he's doing. But it sure helps when McMillan can go for 192 yards, Hubbard can give you something out of the backfield, and there are other guys Young can turn to when one of them isn't open.

That's a pretty big change from what we've watched around here the last few years.

I'm still taking McMillan if you ask me who Young's best target is. I'm not changing my answer because of one PFF number, especially after what McMillan just did against Detroit.

But seeing Hubbard's name that high did make me realize something. We've spent most of Young's career wondering if he had enough guys to throw to.

I'm not wondering that anymore.

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