Trevor Etienne News: Primary return man in rookie season

Etienne rushed the ball 20 times for 94 yards and caught all three of his targets for 13 yards across 17 regular-season games in 2025. Additionally, he recorded 733 kickoff return yards and 163 punt return yards.

The 2025 fourth-round pick from Georgia was buried behind Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard in the Panthers' backfield, so it's no surprise he didn't see much work on offense as a rookie. However, Etienne established himself as Carolina's top return man, finishing the regular season 19th in return yards in the NFL. While Dowdle is set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Panthers will still have Hubbard and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) under contract next season, so the backfield could remain crowded, but Etienne's special-teams value should at least keep him in the mix.