10 Greatest Running Backs in Carolina Panthers History

The Carolina Panthers are still one of the youngest franchises in the NFL, but the team has built up a very interesting history since debuting in 1995 and making its first Conference Championship appearance only one year later in 1996.

Those nearly three decades have been filled with ups and downs, but one thing that has been relatively consistent the entire time is the running back position being one of strength. The rate at which great players have lined up in the Panthers' backfield has been pretty incredible when you consider how young this franchise is in the grand scheme of things.

The future at the position really looks to be as bright as ever, too, and fans should expect this to be a trend that lasts for a long time.

So with that in mind, here's an in-depth look at the 10 best running backs in Carolina Panthers history, including some honorable mentions and a look at the team's all-time rushing leaders at the end.

10. Nick Goings

With the Panthers' relatively short history compared to other teams, the 10th spot on this list is maybe the hardest to decide. There are a ton of "honorable mention" type players who it's hard to really group in with the "greatest," but Nick Goings slightly edges them out.

At a glance:

• 105 games played
• 1,470 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns on 400 carries
• 880 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

Why he's great:

An undrafted free agent in 2001, carving out a 105-game career was a terrific result for Goings, even though he only made 13 starts across his eight seasons.

His biggest contributions in Carolina came on special teams, making 45 tackles and playing an increasingly large role on that unit as his career went on, but he got his shot in the backfield too. Goings made two starts in each of his first two seasons, though a combined 385 yards on 116 carries (3.3 per attempt) made it clear he wasn't going to be a long-term answer at the position.

Still, his peak as a rusher in 2004 was nice to see. With Stephen Davis on I.R. for most of the year, Goings made 8 starts and led the team with 821 yards on 217 carries, scoring 6 touchdowns.

He's not a player that many fans outside of Carolina (or heck, even younger fans in Carolina) will remember, but Goings made his mark on a young Panthers franchise.

9. Mike Tolbert

Mike Tolbert could have potentially found himself higher on this list, but we're mostly focused on the tailback position here, so his work as a fullback gets discounted some. That's also why you won't find Brad Hoover on the list despite his inarguably great contributions to the offense over his decade-long career.

At a glance:

• 72 games played
• 992 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 289 carries
• 771 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns on 94 receptions
• 3-time Pro Bowler (2013, 2015, 2016) *at fullback
• 2-time First-Team All-Pro (2013, 2015) *at fullback

Why he's great:

As the accolades show, Tolbert was technically considered a fullback for most of his Panthers tenure, but anyone who watched the team over those years know he played a significant amount of both spots in the backfield, and even judging him on his body of work as a halfback earns him a spot on this list (albeit a much lower one than he would earn if we did include his fullback work).

There's no easy way to split up his stats on a by-position basis, but consider that PFF only credits him with having played more snaps at fullback than at halfback in two of his five seasons with the team.

Tolbert never had a chance to shine as a lead back, overlapping with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but he was still a consistent contributor, being relied on especially heavily in goalline, short-yardage and third down situations. He's not going to be the first player fans remember from the Cam Newton era, but there's no denying that Tolbert played a big role, and was a lot of fun to watch while he did it.

8. Fred Lane

Fred Lane has a claim to having been the Panthers' first true reliable lead back. Derrick Moore got almost 200 carries in the inaugural season and Anthony Johnson had the first 1,000-yard rushing campaign the next year, but neither of their impacts lasted for multiple seasons the way Lane's did.

At a glance:

• 42 games played
• 2,001 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns on 502 carries

Why he's great:

Our second undrafted free agent on the list already, Fred Lane stepped in as a rookie in 1997 and immediately led the team in rushing. He then did it again in 1998, becoming the first Panther to do so in back-to-back years.

What really gets him the spot on this list over Johnson is that Johnson is who he beat out for the lead back role, completely outplaying him. Johnson got to play in a much more effective offense in '96 when he hid that 1k yard mark, but Lane completely outshadowed Johnson in '97.

Lane racked up 809 yards and 7 touchdowns on 182 carries, averaging 4.4 per attempt. Johnosn turned 97 carries into 358 yards with no scores, good for 3.7 per attempt. We even saw Johnson fall further down the depth chart behind Tim Biakabutuka the next year.

It was a short career for Lane, who played all three of his NFL seasons in Carolina, but he made his mark anyway.

7. Tim Biakabutuka

Buried behind Lane (and Johnson and Moore before then) on the depth chart, Biakabutuka had to be patient before getting his opportunity to break out in Carolina. His electric running during his peak, however, gets him ahead of any of those three on this list.

At a glance:

• 50 games played
• 2,530 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 611 carries
• 789 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on 77 receptions

Why he's great:

I promise I'm trying my hardest not to let how much I loved hearing the commentator say "Biakabutuka" in NFL Blitz as a kid color my ranking.

But seriously, Biakabutuka's 1999 season was the most impressive from a Panthers running back through that point in their existence. Injuries limited him to 11 games, but he still managed 718 yards and 6 touchdowns. That had him on a 16-game pace for 1,044 yards and 9 touchdowns.

What's more, this was probably the first time we could describe a Panthers lead back as electric. He averaged a wild 5.2 yards per carry after Panthers lead backs averaged 3.8, 3.7 and 4.4 in the franchise's first three seasons. When Biakabutuka went off for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 8 carries in Week 3, then added 142 and 3 touchdowns on 12 carries in Week 4? Becoming a Panthers fan started to get really fun.

Ultimately that didn't lead to any more sustained success for his career, but that peak alone was enough to earn him a place in Panthers fans' hearts.

6. Chuba Hubbard

Fresh off a new contract extension that gives him plenty more time to prove himself, it may not be long before Chuba Hubbard finds himself in the top five. But for now, he just barely misses the cut.

At a glance (stats accurate as of Nov. 8, 2023):

• 58 games played
• 2,645 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns on 638 carries
• 686 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns on 104 receptions

Why he's great:

Chuba showed flashes across his first two NFL seasons, when Christian McCaffrey's injuries gave Hubbard a chance to make a couple of spot starts and play a much larger role than you might expect for a fourth-round pick.

Even still, however, the Panthers clearly weren't sold. They brought in Miles Sanders on a big contract to be the lead back for 2023. What happens on the field takes precedent over contracts (eventually), however, and Hubbard couldn't be denied as the lead back.

Then the team again tried to bury him, drafting Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But again, Hubbard couldn't be denied.

Despite playing in an incredibly underwhelming offense led by Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, Hubbard is up to 665 yards and 133 carries across nine games in 2024 as of writing, averaging an outstanding 5.0 yards per attempt.

Time will tell how smart the Panthers were to extend Hubbard, but he certainly seems positioned to carry on the lineage of terrific running backs in Carolina.

5. DeShaun Foster

A second-round pick in 2022, Deshaun Foster's Panthers career got off to a slow start when he landed on I.R. ahead of his rookie season, keeping him from making his debut until 2003. And at that point he was stuck behind Stephen Daivs on the depth chart. He stuck around long enough to make a major impact in the coming years though.

At a glance:

• 63 games played
• 3,336 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns on 851 carries
• 996 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns on 126 receptions
• NFC Championship win (2003)

Why he's great:

Rushing for 60 yards on 14 carries, including scoring the touchdown that sealed the game, against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2003 NFC Championship game does a lot of heavy lifting on Foster's resume, but it's not like that was his only accolade.

He never had a chance to shine as a true workhorse, sharing the backfield with Davis, Goings and Williams, but Foster did lead the Panthers in rushing for three straight seasons from 2005 through 2007 — a stretch that included a couple of 11-win seasons. Of course, that came with averaging just 58.6, 64.1 and 54.8 yards per game across those campaigns, never eclipsing 900 or scoring more than 3 touchdowns in a year.

Foster's body of work holds up as firmly solid, with consistent good play rarely being accentuated by any high-end peaks. But fans who watched the Panthers' success in that era know exactly how valuable that consistency was for the franchise. He gets overshadowed by the backs who came after him, but he's certainly earned his place in Panthers history.

4. Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis is one of the hardest players to rank on this list. How much do we balance longevity with peak? How good does a peak need to be to make up for future disappointment? However you remember Davis, and no matter how much more he'll always be associated with Washington, there's no denying the impact he had in such a short time in Carolina.

At a glance:

• 27 games played
• 2,085 yards, 20 touchdowns on 522 carries
• Pro Bowl (2003)
• NFC Championship win (2003)

Why he's great:

A hot free agency addition for the Panthers heading into the 2003 season, Davis was a two-time Pro. Bowler with three 1300-yard seasons to his name, but was coming off a down year in 2002. It didn't take long to prove that he was worth every penny for the Panthers though.

Carolina opened the year with five straight wins, and Davis ran for 111, 142, 153, 159 and 76 yards in those games. He was also critical to their postseason success, rushing for 104 yards and 1 touchdown in the Wild Card round, 86 yards on just 6 carries in the Divisional Round, and tallying 97 yards on 20 touches in the NFC Championship win.

His 1,444 yards in 2003 were a career-high, and remained the Panthers' single-season franchise record until DeAngel Williams broke it in 2008. To this day, 1,444 yards is still second place all-time.

Injuries derailed Davis' career in 2004, and while he did score 12 touchdowns in his return in 2005, his 3.1 yards per carry made it clear that his best days were behind him.

3. Jonathan Stewart

The Panthers' all-time leading rusher, Jonathan Stewart falling to No. 3 on this list is more a testament to the quality of the players ahead of him than it is a knock on his contributions in Carolina.

At a glance:

• 64 games played
• 7,318 rushing yards, 51 touchdowns on 1,699 carries
• 1,295 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns on 162 receptions
• Pro Bowl (2015)
• NFC Championship win (2015)

Why he's great:

The beginning of the "why he's great" conversation for Stewart is obviously that he's the franchise leader in rushing, with almost 5,000 yards more than anyone else. J-Stew racked up 7,318 yards in his 131 games with the team, also scoring 51 touchdowns.

What keeps Stewart from the top spots on this list, though, won't surprise any Panthers fans who followed the team when he was in Carolina. That yardage total largely reflects his longevity and consistency, as he only even hit 1,000 yards in a season once.

This isn't a knock on Stewart — being a productive member of the team for a full decade is absolutely valuable. But rare was the time when it really felt like Stewart was bringing something special to the offense — often not even looking like the best running back on the team in a given season.

The one-two punch of Stewart and Williams was a sight to behold, however, and making the Pro Bowl while helping lead the Panthers to a 15-1 regular season with an NFC Championship win in 2015 remains a special performance in fans' hearts.

2. DeAngelo Williams

The first truly special franchise running back in Panthers history, DeAngelo Williams was one of the best running backs in the NFL even in an era in which the league was flush with talent at the position. His lack of playoff success is unfortunate, but doesn't blemish his incredible resume.

At a glance:

• 117 games played
• 6,846 rushing yards, 46 touchdowns on 1,432 carries
• 1,621 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns on 178 receptions
• Pro Bowl (2009)
• Second-Team All-Pro (2008)
• Fifth in Offensive Player of the Year voting (2008)

Why he's great:

Williams' blend of an outstanding peak and plenty of longevity in Carolina really checks all the boxes.

His 2008 breakout season was easily the high-water mark of his career. His 18 touchdowns led the NFL, and he did it with 1,515 rushing yards — still the franchise record for a single season. He trailed only Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner in rushing yards, and those two got the First-Team All-Pro nods. It's worth noting, however, that Williams' 5.5 yards per carry blew away Peterson's 4.8 and especially Turner's 4.5. Williams also found the end zone more often than either of them and didn't lose a single fumble all year (AP lost a ridiculous 9). There was a legitimate case to be made that Williams was the NFL's best running back in 2008.

Funnily enough he made his first Pro Bowl with a still good but significantly less exciting 2009 season, when he ran for 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns on 216 carries.

The Panthers didn't get another 1,000-yard season out of Williams after that, but that can largely be attributed to the emergence of Jonathan Stewart. The Double Trouble backfield was well ahead of its time, and Stewart and Williams sharing work held Williams' individual stats back. But his willingness to put the team first and accept that kind of workload doesn't do anything to lessen his legacy — if anything it solidifies it.

1. Christian McCaffrey

Injuries and a struggling team around him threaten McCaffrey's Panthers legacy, and for some old-school diehards putting him in the top spot might feel like a stretch. But McCaffrey's greatness, however short lived, was simply too much to deny him this honor.

At a glance:

• 58 games played
• 3,980 rushing yards, 32 touchdowns on 866 carries
• 3,292 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns on 390 receptions
• Pro Bowl (2019, 2022)
• 1st-Team All-Pro (2019)
• 2nd-Team All-Pro (2018)
• Third in Offensive Player of the Year voting (2019)

Why he's great:

Christian McCaffrey wasn't the first running back to truly dominate in both the rushing and receiving game, but he did it in a way the league really hadn't seen until he came around, and that started a clear shift in the position around the entire NFL.

McCaffrey's 2,523 receiving yards across his first three seasons ranked 25th in the NFL for all players during that stretch. He's No. 6 in Panthers franchise history in receiving. And he did that while rushing for 1,000 yards twice and ranking third in franchise history for rushing yards per game.

So even in a short time, he accumulated the career-long numbers to put him up at the top of this list. And his 2019 season was one of the best this franchise has ever seen at any position. The 2,392 yards from scrimmage he racked up not only led the NFL, but they remain to this day the third most for a single season in NFL history. He joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players to have both 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.

A revolving door of head coaches and quarterbacks meant that McCaffrey never really had a shot at playoff success, but if anything his ability to shine so much on such a motley assortment of offenses only enhances his greatness.

Honorable Mentions

As I mentioned from the jump with Nick Goings, the short history of this franchise means "great" starts to become a real stretch with anyone who didn't crack the top-10. But greatness is relative, and there have been some more Panthers running backs who have earned the fans' love for various reasons over the years. Here are some names that fans will remember fondly:

• Anthony Johnson (1995-1999)
• Derrick Moore (1995)
• D'Onta Foreman (2022)
• Fozzy Whittaker (2014-2017)
• Rod "He Hate Me" Smart (2002-2005)
• Lamar Smith (2002)

Carolina Panthers All-Time Rushing Leaders

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