Miles Sanders or Chuba Hubbard? Panthers coach Frank Reich discusses plan for RBs

Frank Reich is keeping his running back situation open-ended following the Week 7 bye.

Monday, the Panthers head coach, who gave up play-calling duties last week, tiptoed around a definitive answer on his running back room when asked about the future of the depth chart.

With starting running back Miles Sanders dealing with a shoulder injury, and Chuba Hubbard playing well in his absence in the Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Reich has some wiggle room when it comes to gamesmanship ahead of Sunday’s home matchup against the Houston Texans.

“Chuba’s looked good,” Reich said. “Obviously, we love Miles. And Miles has continued to make good progress. We’ll continue to get into this week a little bit. It’s always going to be a little bit by committee. That’s typically our approach. So the actual mix, that could vary week to week, so we’ll see how things play out this week.”

Chuba Hubbard has outplayed Miles Sanders

Hubbard, who started against Miami, is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season. That average dwarfs Sanders’ output at 3.1 yards per tote through five games.

With just 54 carries, Hubbard leads the Panthers with 242 rushing yards. He’s also caught 13 passes for 59 yards. The third-year running back has excelled with rushing between the tackles, an area where Sanders has come up short.

The Panthers gave Sanders, a 2022 Pro Bowl selection, a four-year, $25.4 million contract in free agency in March. But so far, Sanders has been outplayed by Hubbard, as the starter has picked up 190 rushing yards and a touchdown on 61 carries.

Carolina will monitor Sanders’ injury as the team begins the week of preparation on Wednesday. Perhaps the two-week layoff can help Sanders bounce back from the sluggish start to the season.

The fifth-year running back was sidelined throughout a good portion of training camp with a groin injury, so distancing himself even further from that ailment could also seemingly help him re-emerge.

If Sanders were to miss another matchup, Hubbard would most likely get the call to start in his place again. Hubbard picked up 88 rushing yards and a touchdown against Miami in Week 6, establishing himself as a viable lead option out of the backfield. Raheem Blackshear, who had been a healthy scratch for four games, supplemented Hubbard’s performance with five carries for 18 yards.

Along with Sanders’ injury, the Panthers are also monitoring an ankle injury for wideout/running back Laviska Shenault. The 2020 second-round pick has effectively been used as a depth receiver and the third running back on offense to this point. If Sanders and Shenault were both to sit out of the matchup against the Texans, the Panthers would probably have to turn to the practice squad where Tarik Cohen is counted on as depth. Cohen hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2020 when he suffered a catastrophic knee injury.

UPDATE: The New York Giants agreed to terms with running back Jashaun Corbin on Monday, a league source confirmed to The Observer. Corbin will depart the Panthers’ practice squad as a result.