Facing tougher snap competition

Hubbard has new competition in the Carolina backfield with Miles Sanders replacing D'Onta Foreman, WCNC's Nathaniel Puente reports.

Sanders recently signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract, including $13 million guaranteed, while Foreman settled for a much smaller one-year deal with the Bears after playing out last year on a similar contract for Carolina. Foreman and Hubbard handled the vast majority of RB snaps/touches after the team traded Christian McCaffrey, with Hubbard notably finishing the year on a high note as he racked up 435 total yards over his final five games. The 2021 fourth-round pick now figures to take a backseat to Sanders, whose uneven tenure in Philadelphia was capped off by a career-best 259-1,269-11 rushing line last season. The Panthers could still add more backfield talent, or perhaps find a passing-down role for Raheem Blackshear, given that Sanders and Hubbard both have struggled with drops and don't look especially natural as receivers or blockers. Hubbard's new role might just be as a backup on early downs, with upside dependent on Sanders missing time.