Who will start after McCaffrey’s trade: D’Onta Foreman or Chuba Hubbard?

The Carolina Panthers have traded their best offensive player, star running back Christian McCaffrey, to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for three mid-round picks in the 2023 draft and one in 2024.

With the deal, the 49ers have acquired a top-caliber running back to boost their offense, while the Panthers are on their way to fortifying their future.

Filling McCaffrey’s shoes

In the meantime, they have to deal with the present- and that means deciding who will step into McCaffrey’s shoes beginning their Week 7 game at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The 26-year-old’s departure leaves a lot of uncertainty regarding their running back situation. According to the team’s website, their second stringers are D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard.

A committee of running backs

According to head coach Steve Wilks, the Panthers would be deploying running backs “by committee on Sunday”. That implies that Foreman and Hubbard will likely be sharing the responsibilities in the backfield.

Multiple reports indicate that although the two will probably split the rushing workload, Foreman is likely to benefit more from McCaffrey’s leaving. He has recorded 12 carries this season, compared to Hubbard’s six.

Hubbard will probably still shoulder a lot of responsibility, as Foreman has only played one more snap than he has. He was also McCaffrey’s main backup last season.

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If the Panthers do indeed have a running back “committee” on Sunday, they might pare it down soon if either option gets into the end zone more often than the other. Oddsmakers say it will likely be Foreman, and the picture will surely be clearer after Sunday.