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A report about the Detroit Lions’ ideal No. 17 draft pick is out, and it shows that Dan Campbell and company mean business.
The Detroit Lions came up well short of expectations last season. After entering the year as a top-tier Super Bowl contender, they weren’t even able to make the playoffs.
Dan Campbell and company were not happy with that performance. They will be coming into 2026 looking to prove a point. The Lions want to show that they’re still a legitimate contender.
Heading into the 2026 NFL offseason, Detroit wanted to make some changes. One of those changes came on the offensive side of the football. David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans.
Over the last few years, Montgomery has formed a lethal duo in the backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs. Without him on the field, there are some who think the Lions should consider pursuing a trade to replace Montgomery.
Keeping that in mind, the Lions have been urged to consider an aggressive running back trade.
Lions Linked to Potential $33.2 Million Running Back Trade
FanSided’s Jake Beckman believes that Detroit should pursue a trade with the Carolina Panthers for running back Chuba Hubbard.
“If they wanted to get greedy and make sure they really crushed everything, they could try to get Chuba Hubbard from Carolina,” Beckman wrote. “The problem with that is usable running backs are at a premium right now, and the price for a guy like Hubbard is going to be a little bit higher than it was a month ago.”
Beckman noted that there is a problem with a potential price tag increase from a month or two ago. However, there is another problem with this idea.
Hubbard is currently projected to be the Panthers’ starting running back. Would Carolina even have interest in moving the running back? That remains to be seen.
What Would Chuba Hubbard Bring to the Detroit Offense?
During the 2025 NFL season with the Panthers, Hubbard played in 15 games. He carried the football 134 times for 511 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers were well down from 2024.
Hubbard did catch 30 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
Back in the 2024 season, he racked up 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 250 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Hubbard also caught 43 passes for 171 yards and a score that year.
At 26 years old, Hubbard has big-time potential. If the Lions were to acquire him, their offense would take a big step in the right direction. He would be a perfect partner alongside of Gibbs in the backfield.
More than likely, a Hubbard trade isn’t going to happen. It would be surprising to see Carolina being open to trade him. Detroit would likely need to look elsewhere if it did want to acquire another running back.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey