How a ‘random’ stat helps explain Robert Hunt’s value to Carolina Panthers’ offense

Ask Robert Hunt about a flattering stat that has gone viral over the past few days, and two things will happen.

First, the Carolina Panthers’ offensive lineman will be too polite to correct it. The statistic posed to him Monday was that the right guard has played in 100% of his team’s offensive snaps and hadn’t been called for a holding penalty. The truth is that he has a single holding call on his record in 2024 — one in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, still an impressive feat.

The second thing that will happen: Hunt will sidestep the praise with some comedic candor.

“That’s a random one,” Hunt said. “But no, it’s not really a goal that I kind of come in with. Obviously, I try to come in and do my job the correct way. But it’s not really something I got my eye on.”

Indeed, that stat may be small and “random” in the grand scheme of Hunt’s 2024 season. But it also serves as a reminder of just how valuable Hunt has been to the Panthers’ offense — as a bastion of discipline and consistency in a year when there hasn’t been much consistency at all.

Hunt, it turns out, has been a clear “win” among their free agency acquisitions ahead of 2024. In his first year in Carolina, the 6-foot-6, 323-pound guard has played every offensive snap of the season heading into the Panthers’ season finale against the Falcons this season. And the return has been good.

Per Pro Football Focus, Hunt has earned a 72% grade as a run-blocker for the season. That’s 26th in the league among all offensive linemen and 11th among OLs who have blocked in more than 340 designed runs.

You don’t need numbers to substantiate his impact, either. Some anecdotal evidence: The Panthers have had the ball at the 1-yard line a bunch of times this season. An early time came in Week 4, against the Bengals, when the Panthers got stuffed twice on the goal line on their first possession and ended up turning the ball over on downs. They haven’t been stopped the same since: Of Chuba Hubbard’s 10 rushing touchdowns, four have been from the 1-yard line — and they’ve found that success most often running behind #50.

The offensive line’s strength as a unit doesn’t just reside in Hunt, of course — though Hunt’s five-year, $100 million contract signing ahead of the season signaled that the Panthers were going to invest in their OL.

Damien Lewis, the team’s left guard who was also a high-profile free agency signing, has been among the league’s best statistically, too. Ikem Ekwonu, the Panthers’ 2022 first-round draft pick, has grown tremendously as a pass protector, by his own admission as well as that of others.

Taylor Moton has missed three games in 2024 — three more than any other time in his career as a Panther — and has also had a good year. Cade Mays, the team’s starting center, has stepped in admirably for an out-for-the-season Austin Corbett, and Brady Christensen has been a reliable sixth man.

Heading into Week 17, Carolina boasted a Top 10 offensive line in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and had the third-ranked 93.9 pass-blocking efficiency rating. Who led the charge? Hunt didn’t allow a pressure and earned an 88.5 PFF pass-blocking grade that week against the Cardinals, which led all guards in Week 16.

“I think I’ve been a lot better, if I’m being honest with myself,” Hunt said. “I think I’ve been a lot better. First year in a new system, new scheme, got better at certain things toward the end of the year. And then as the season went on, I come back next year, and I think this will be the worst I’ll be.”

The line has experienced a few shortcomings, no doubt. Probably the biggest one came against the Bucs last week, when Bryce Young was pressured on more than 68% of his dropbacks. It was a product of a cocktail of issues: a weird mix of an early deficit shifting the playcalling and not having a consistent run game with the running back room so bruised.

Hunt took accountability for the performance Monday, which saw his season-lows in grades for pass-blocking (23.7%) and run blocking (53.7). And if you’ve been following along the Panthers’ season, you know taking accountability isn’t a new phenomenon for Hunt.

The 28-year-old guard, in fact, has been among the team’s most honest voices in the locker room this season. He was an early and loud advocate for his second-year quarterback — “They’re calling him ‘B-Y Reap, huh?!” Hunt said when informed of Young’s budding nickname, “The Carolina Reaper.” As he’s said on occasion, after one of many close losses this season: “We gotta find ways to win this kind of game.”

He’s also been a leader in other ways, too, using his personality. You see it when he’s sprinting down the field and trying (to varying avail) to celebrate with Eddy Piñeiro after the kicker hit the game-winning field goal against the Giants or in his postgame locker room dances.

“It’s been great having his personality show on and off the field,” Ekwonu said of his teammate, trying to sum up Hunt’s impact in a few words. “Can’t say enough good things about Rob.”