The Carolina Panthers, as one of the NFL's youngest franchises, are mostly known for being Cam Newton's former team. However, they've rostered some very good players since 1995, including some solid running backs. Here are the five best.

3. Jonathan Stewart, 2008-2017

The Panthers drafted Stewart 13th overall in 2008, and although he didn't exactly live up to his draft status, he was still a solid player for Carolina for a decade. For the majority of his time with the Panthers, Stewart split carries with DeAngelo Williams, a first-rounder from 2006. As a rookie, Stewart ran for 836 yards and scored 10 touchdowns, while Williams' production skyrocketed from where it was before. In 2009, the pair became the first teammates to rush for more than 1,100 yards, as Stewart finished with 1,133 yards and 10 scores. That would be the only season of his career where he eclipsed 1,000 yards, although he did pass up 600 yards six more times.

Stewart ended his Panthers career having rushed for 7,318 yards and 51 touchdowns, and was serviceable in the passing game as well, hauling in 162 passes for 1,295 yards and seven scores. He may never have been a great player, but Stewart was always solid. He made one Pro Bowl, in 2015, and played in multiple postseason games. He is the franchise's all-time leading rusher, although that record will almost certainly be broken within the next three to four years. The success that both Stewart and Williams found early on has led to many other teams attempting to replicate that running back by committee approach.

2. DeAngelo Williams, 2006-2014

Stewart's partner-in-crime, Williams didn't break out until Stewart's rookie season, running for a career-best 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to a Second Team All-Pro selection. He made his only Pro Bowl a year later, finishing with 1,117 yards and seven scores. That was the last time he'd reach 1K yards, although he did run for over 900 yards and 11 TDs in 2015 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Both Williams and Stewart's carries took a hit after 2011, when the Panthers selected dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton first overall, but the duo was still effective in each player's role. Williams was released after the 2014 campaign, leaving Carolina having run for 6,846 yards and 46 touchdowns, while adding 178 catches for 1,621 yards and seven TDs. Williams was the lightning to Stewart's thunder, and gave the team nine years of pretty good play, in between seasons impacted by injury. He owns plenty of franchise records, and his excellent 2008 campaign still paces the team in yards and touchdowns. It would not be a surprise, however, to see those records broken very soon.

1. Christian McCaffery, 2017-present

The man who will break those records in McCaffery. He was an excellent player at Stanford, but many questioned his size (5'11” 205lbs) and wondered if he would ever be able to run between the tackles effectively, like the stereotypical NFL RB. Through three seasons, he's proven all his doubters wrong, having improved each year of his career to this point as both a runner and a receiver. He's caught over 100 passes in each of the past two seasons, and could be deployed as a full-time wide receiver if needed. He's an excellent route runner and has dependable hands. He nearly tied Williams' single-season touchdown record in 2019, but finished just short with 19.

McCafferey has totaled 2,920 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground for the Panthers, and 303 catches for 2,523 yards and 15 scores through the air. His 116 grabs in 2019 are the most-ever for an RB in a season, and no other runner in the history of the league has caught 100 passes twice. He is also just the third player to gain over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving, along with Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig, the former being a Hall of Famer and the latter still with a chance to get in. His production may get even better in 2020, as new QB Teddy Bridgewater is known to prefer working in the short and intermediate areas of the field, where McCaffery thrives as a receiver. He signed a four-year deal worth $64 million this offseason, which makes him the highest-paid RB in NFL history. Big running back contracts haven't typically been smart investments as of late( see: Gurley, Todd), but McCaffey isn't a typical RB. He's much more than that, and even though he's played less than half as much as the others on this list, he is hands-down the best RB in Panthers history.