Cat Scratch Reader
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! Many of the askers are singing a different tune than 2-3 weeks ago, as it seems now we’re talking more about a positive near and long-term outlook than before. You all brought the questions, let’s dive right in with my answers!
Bruce Guild: Is there any bigger question out there right now with the Panthers then Chuba and Rico?
I went ahead and linked the whole comment since you asked a few follow up questions that all have to do with the original question.
The Rico Dowdle/Chuba Hubbard question is certainly a valid one, and even at the end of the week Dave Canales would not tip his hand as to what the plan would be on Sunday. I think the Panthers will go for a more 50/50 split now that Hubbard is back in the fold, but I think (and hope) that the more frustrating thing I always saw with this rotation has ended; subbing one of them out after a play or two. I think if you want to maintain a two running back monster where both guys can be productive, you swap them out on drives, not snaps. At least until one needs to rest up a little bit. Rico definitely could use some relief, as in both of these last two games he battled cramps at the end of the game. However, I would not oppose riding the hot hand this year and turning the majority of snaps over to Rico and mixing in Chuba a bit more until that momentum fades.
As far as the future goes, the Panthers can actually move on from Chuba following this season without a huge cap ramification, though I don’t see them outright cutting him if they did extend an offer to Rico. If Rico continues on this pace, he’ll be looking for a big running back contract, but in theory they could afford to keep them both next season if they did extend an offer to Rico. His cap number in the first season would likely be pretty low, as is common with most new contracts since the player often receives a signing bonus up front that averages out over the course of the contract for cap purposes. They’d still have to figure out something the following season, as Chuba’s cap number jumps from $7.5 mil next season to over $9 mil the following year, when the camp of Rico’s new deal would start to jump up. But creative cap moves could theoretically keep the two together for a year or two, but I think a lot of us have PTSD after the Panthers chose to pay DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart big bucks in years past to share a backfield. That’s when I think a trade would make sense, but these conversations are all contingent on both guys being productive enough to pay them going into the offseason.
**DannyLimes: Is this...
