Trevor

Etienne

It’s part of the reason why the Panthers are willing to let Rico Dowdle leave in free agency. With Chuba Hubbard as the main back, Brooks would likely not be a major part of the offense even if he got to camp healthy after losing most of his NFL career to date to ACL tears. Still, he’s going to be just 23 this offseason, it’s hard to completely give up hope on him. He’ll battle Trevor Etienne for the main backup role if the Panthers don’t bring in anyone else.

His most important contribution against the Rams was letting one punt return clank off his helmet to be recovered by the Rams, then nearly losing a second one later in the exact same way. Etienne never truly entered the backfield derby in Carolina, topping out at 7/33 against the Patriots in a 42-13 drubbing where he mostly played late. The 114th overall pick in last year’s draft, Etienne could wind up as Chuba Hubbard’s No. 2 back this offseason if the Panthers don’t add anyone else to the room, but this year’s usage doesn’t exactly demonstrate a commitment from the Panthers that leads us to think they want him to be that player.

His longest play of the day, an 11-yard run deep in the fourth quarter, came with the Cowboys figuratively begging him to score so they could get the ball back, not even attempting to tackle him. Etienne smartly slid down. He’s got no role worth speaking of at the moment and will fall even further once Chuba Hubbard is healthy again.

Etienne was used sparingly even with Chuba Hubbard out this week. Rico Dowdle was the team’s lead back and he gave them no reason to turn to the rookie. Dowdle ran for 206 yards on 23 attempts and scored once. Half of Etienne’s carries came on the Panthers’ penultimate drive while Dowdle was dealing with cramps. Needless to say, Etienne is not on the fantasy radar heading into Week 6.

Just hours after it was reported that Hubbard was expected to miss Week 5, the Panthers have confirmed their RB1 will miss Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. Hubbard’s injury isn’t expected to be something that sidelines him long-term, but the Panthers will give him the week off and turnover duties to Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne. Dowdle profiles as a solid RB2 with RB1 upside, while Etienne should be viewed as a stash until we see how he’s utilized sans Hubbard.

Hubbard popped up on Thursday’s injury report with a calf injury and was officially limited as a limited participant. He was again listed as limited on Friday, which is a relatively good sign for his Week 4 availability, but his name will be one to watch when inactives are announced 90 minutes before kickoff. In the event he can’t go, backup Rico Dowdle would be the favorite to handle the majority of backfield duties with rookie Trevor Etienne also being in the mix for touches.

Hubbard was a workhorse for the Panthers last year, running for 1,195 yards on 250 attempts. He also totaled 43 receptions for another 171 yards, bringing him over 275 touches for the second season in a row. The team rewarded him for his efforts with a four-year extension midseason, but that doesn’t mean they are going to load him up with touches once again. The Panthers brought in Rico Dowdle in free agency and spent a fourth-round pick on Trevor Etienne. Dowdle split snaps with Hubbard during the preseason, alluding to a possible role for him on passing downs. Hubbard remains the only back with stand-alone fantasy value in Carolina, but he may struggle to live up to his lofty ADP if Dowdle or Etienne are more involved than expected.

Etienne also caught one pass for seven yards on his only target. The 21-year-old is attempting to work his way into a role with the Panthers after being selected in the fourth round, but he hasn’t looked the part in these first two preseason games. Chuba Hubbard was always there starter, but Rico Dowdle will be the backup to open the year with Etienne unlikely to see many touches to begin the campaign.

The number of carries will “drop a bit in 2025" because “it has to.” But Zietlow believes this will just be management for Hubbard and that he should still get all the goal-line touches. Zietlow also believes Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne will split snaps behind Hubbard this year.

Etienne doesn’t figure to factor in much as a runner early behind Chuba Hubbard. But since neither Hubbard nor Rico Dowdle have a rich history of catching the football, it’s possible that Etienne winds up playing a third-down role for the Panthers early. That’ll depend mostly on if the coaches trust him in pass protection. It will likely take injuries ahead of him for the undersized Etienne to be a fantasy factor in his rookie season.