There's Not Much Faith in the Carolina Panthers' Offensive Triplets for Good Reason

The Carolina Panthers are loaded with promise but are short on certainty going into the 2026 season.

And that's no doubt the case on offense, and more specifically at the quarterback, running back and wide receiver positions.

The jury is still out on Bryce Young's long-term viability, Chuba Hubbard is coming off a down season in which he lost the starting job briefly in favor of Rico Dowdle, and Tetairoa McMillan still has to cement himself after what was a very impressive rookie year.

So, it should come as no surprise that the Panthers' trio did not fare well in the offensive triple rankings of CBS Sports. The outlet ranked Carolina's trio at No. 28 overall.

"The Panthers moved up just one spot despite Young showing some improvement and McMillan putting together a very good debut season (70 catches for 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns)," Dubin said.

"This ranking doesn't show much faith in Young to take the next step as a passer, and that's probably what's dragging Carolina down, in addition to Hubbard being largely uninspiring in the backfield," Dubin explained.

Young and Hubbard are easily the most vulnerable of the trio.

This is a make-or-break year for Young, who no doubt took a step forward in 2025 after finishing with career-highs in completion rate (63.6%), passing yards (3,011), passer rating (87.8) and touchdowns (23).

But Youhng also threw a career-high number of picks, and the rest of his career-best numbers aren't what you'd be expecting out of a former No. 1 overall pick in his third season.

Meanwhile, Hubbard had his lowest yardage output since 2022 with 511 yards, and he averaged a very pedestrian 3.8 yards per carry. While he doesn't have Dowdle around anymore, former second-round pick Jonathon Brooks is around to threaten Hubbard's starting role.

While everyone wants to see McMillan take that next step after a 1,000-yard season in Year 1, he's got a much longer leash than Hubbard and Young because of the immense promise he displayed in 2025.

And, chances are if McMillan struggles in the upcoming season, it'll have more to do with Young struggling than anything else.

The funny thing is, the two guys with the most experience in this triplet are the ones holding it back. That's just the reality of the situation in Carolina going into 2026.

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