27-touchdown playmaker named Panthers' most valuable trade chip

The Carolina Panthers don't have a lot of realistic trade chips. The fringe starters they could move on from, with all due respect, are not all that good, so they wouldn't get anything for trading players like D.J. Wonnum, Hunter Renfrow, Nick Scott, or Tommy Tremble.

The bigger pieces are far too important to what Carolina is building to move off of. Derrick Brown, Tetairoa McMillan, Jaycee Horn, Tre'von Moehrig, Taylor Moton, and others are too good. But there is one player right in the middle of all that makes him, per one insider, the Panthers' best trade chip.

NFL insider labels Chuba Hubbard the best Panthers trade asset

Chuba Hubbard has suddenly become expendable. When he signed the extension last season, he was anything but, but Rico Dowdle has taken his job and probably forced the Panthers to reconsider their RB room.

And that makes Hubbard, a 27-TD veteran who nearly made the Pro Bowl last year, expendable and the Panthers' best asset for trading. At least, that's how Bleacher Report insider Brad Gagnon sees things.

"Rico Dowdle has easily outperformed Hubbard this season, which should lead to a new contract or the franchise tag. Carolina also used a first-round pick on Trevor Etienne, who has played well in limited action as a rookie. Hubbard still has a strong track record, and someone else could save the Panthers some cash by seeing if the 26-year-old can excel elsewhere," Gagnon said.

It would be a tough pill for Panthers fans to swallow if the team let Dowdle walk. He was given a one-year flyer contract, but he's more than earned an extension. It's not clear if they'll give it to him, but the best route would be trading Hubbard and extending Dowdle.

Other teams will realize that Hubbard is, at least right now, a little depleted. That will drive his cost down, but they will also remember that he's capable of being a Pro Bowl-caliber back that's on a fairly inexpensive long-term deal.

Hubbard has team control and is making a little over $8 million, which is hardly exorbitant for a starting running back. Maybe he's not quite healthy (which would make sense) or just needs a change, but another team would certainly benefit from his services.

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