Chuba Hubbard named big loser of NFL trade deadline after Panthers stand pat

While it was never all that realistic, the Carolina Panthers opted not to trade Chuba Hubbard before yesterday's NFL trade deadline. The running back has lost his starting job and his future now seems totally up in the air, but he was not moved at the deadline.

Teams apparently made offers for Breece Hall, but he didn't get traded, either, so there could've been a world where one of those teams pivoted to Hubbard. Alas, that didn't happen, and Hubbard was named the Panthers' biggest loser of the deadline as a result.

Chuba Hubbard among the biggest losers of the NFL deadline

Chuba Hubbard was a star last year, earning a substantial contract extension and being arguably pretty close to Pro Bowl-level. This year, he's been banged up, inefficient, unsuccessful, and now benched, essentially.

It would've made all the sense in the world for the Panthers to move him, but they didn't. Bleacher Report's staff believes he missed out as a result. "Running back Rico Dowdle appeared to fully take over the Carolina starting job in Week 9, logging 25 carries to Chuba Hubbard's five," they noted.

Hubbard is under contract through 2028, but the Panthers can get out from under his contract as early as next offseason without suffering major consequences with the salary cap. That may be their only option.

"With several teams navigating running back injuries around the league, Hubbard might have been hoping for a fresh starting opportunity elsewhere. Instead, he'll continue to be pushed out of the Carolina spotlight," the analysts said.

The Panthers clearly like Hubbard, and he has been excellent for them in the past. Maybe it's injury-related, but he is not the same back anymore. This is not just a case of Rico Dowdle being one of the best running backs in the NFL. Hubbard, at the same time, is bad.

He's averaging a paltry 3.6 yards per carry. Even as the lead back, he's struggled to really break out. His best game was against the Atlanta Falcons where he had 73 yards at 4.3 per attempt, but even that isn't nearly as good as he was last year.

Dowdle is a free agent at the end of the season, and Hubbard is on a long-term contract. The Panthers took forever to even name Dowdle the RB1, so they may continue trying to make Hubbard work, but it might've been best for everyone if they'd traded him.

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