Panthers Snap Count Analysis: Biggest Winners, Losers, Role Changes From Week 1

How the Carolina Panthers used their players in a given game can be highly revealing. The Panthers are trying to balance a ton of things during a game, and how things end up shaking out in the snap counts can be valuable for analysis.

#Panthers snap counts:

—Chuba Hubbard more than tripled the snaps of Jonathon Brooks; being cautious with Brooks, but also Chuba is RB1

—Darren Waller: no preseason, no prob

—Princely Umanmielen notched start but Trevis Gipson played more

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— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) September 14, 2026

On Sunday, the Panthers got blasted by the Chicago Bears, 59-37. They were great on offense and not good on defense, and the snap counts on both sides of the ball help paint a picture of how things went and how they might go moving forward. Here are some winners and losers of the final count.

Winner: Chuba Hubbard

We entered Week 1 a little unsure of the health of both running backs, and Dave Canales had said it would be a running back by committee. That was not true on Sunday, as Chuba Hubbard more than doubled Jonathon Brooks' snap count. Brooks made the most of his chances, but he just didn't get that many.

Loser: Princely Umanmielen

Carolina Panthers linebacker Princely Umanmielen (3) during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Pat Jones out, Princely Umanmielen got the start, and he didn't make the most of it. He was ultimately out-snapped by Trevis Gipson. This is largely because Umanmielen couldn't contain Caleb Williams on key scrambles and did not set the edge well on big run plays. If Jones is out again, look for Gipson to start next week.

Winner: Darren Waller

Darren Waller had no preseason and limited practice action leading into the regular season. Despite that, he out-snapped all tight ends other than Tommy Tremble, who had 14 more snaps than Waller. That firmly cements him as TE2 and proves that his age, late signing, and previous retirement aren't hindering him.

Loser: Jonathon Brooks

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (25) runs with the ball | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We mentioned that Jonathon Brooks did not get a ton of action in comparison to Chuba Hubbard. The truth is he just hardly played. He was on the field for 13 snaps, an alarmingly low number after he got all the RB1 reps during the preseason. Health may have been a factor, but Hubbard wasn't exactly 100% coming in, either.

Role Change: Jimmy Horn Jr.

Last year, we saw plenty of gadget play reps on offense for Jimmy Horn Jr., and that continued in the 2026 preseason. On Sunday, he just wasn't a factor on offense, playing just 14 snaps. On special teams, he got 12 snaps, a much higher percentage. That might drop in the future, too, but for now, he seems like mostly a special teamer.

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