CHARLOTTE — The Panthers have played 10 games this season, and they've won three of them.

But they also appear to have established the beginnings of a personality, which starts up front.

They spent heavily in free agency to bring in guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, but that's not the only factor. They've also trained up an entire group that's allowed them to rank in the league's top 10 in rush yards per attempt and fifth in sacks allowed despite starting five different groups and nine different linemen.

"Yeah, I mean, I think it's definitely forming our identity," said running back Chuba Hubbard, who is fourth in the league in rushing while playing on the 32nd-ranked total offense. "To do it every single week, I think running the ball has been a big part of that in what we're becoming.

"Obviously, we've done great things so far. I think we still can take that to another level, just seeing all the good things that come from it. Regardless of the injuries and all the other things and seeing guys step up, it's been fun, and obviously, I'm grateful for it."

Hubbard should smile. Again, he's been one of the league's top backs this year and was rewarded with a contract extension that will keep him here through the 2028 season.

But to his point, there's something bigger building here, as the Panthers have shown signs of the kind of team they want to be, the kind of "stubborn" running game Dave Canales has been talking about since he walked in the door.

Winning the two games before the bye provided tangible evidence that it could work, as they were able to get the results they wanted despite throwing for a combined 284 yards.

"I mean, when you win games, obviously, that builds confidence," Hubbard said. "But I said since Week 1, we're trying to build an identity, build a culture here, and it's not just going to happen overnight or by Week 2 or 3. It's going to take the whole season. So seeing it show up in tangible ways like winning, winning games kind of just makes you trust a little more and more."

That's the kind of trust that you can't just buy, though they did spend heavily toward that end.

Between the big contracts for Hunt and Lewis, a first-round pick on Ikem Ekwonu, a second-rounder and an eventual extension for Taylor Moton, they have invested significantly up front (including sizable free agent deals for Austin Corbett and Yosh Nijman, a third-rounder on Brady Christensen, and a fourth on Chandler Zavala).

But it takes more than just throwing money at a problem to fix it, and Hunt said that started as soon as they walked in the door this offseason.

"Just setting that standard early on in the offseason, like I talked about when we first got here," Hunt said. "You've got to have a standard, and everybody tries to meet that standard; when they get in, they continue to play well and, you know, try to keep the standard going.

"So I feel like we have a standard, and no matter who we are, people are going to try to step up and do their job and play well."

And when you're able to show the results, it makes the work easier.

They're ranked as a top-10 offensive line in the league by Pro Football Focus. Moton and Hunt, in particular, have graded out well individually as pass protectors. But the entire group getting that kind of recognition is new.

In the recent past, it hasn't been like this. Injuries forced them to play seven different left guards and eight different right guards last year, and not all of them were great options. So it's not a surprise Bryce Young was sacked 62 times in his rookie season or that an overhaul was in order.

But as Hubbard pointed out, a number of the parts, such as Ekwonu, Moton, Corbett, Christensen, and others, were here. So being able to run well when you can run (they're last in the league in total first downs, so lacking inventory of run plays cuts into the total statistical case) allows them to lean on people, creating that identity Hubbard talked about.

"You know we want to play the game physical," Hunt said. "I think running the ball kind of sets that statement; you know that they're going to run the ball. They're going to try to be physical. I feel like we've done a good job of doing that this year. We're going to continue to try to do that."

The job has been complicated by some injuries. Corbett was lost for the season after five games at center. Christensen replaced him, but Ekwonu's ankle injury kept him out two games and led Cade Mays to come back to start at center while Christensen flipped back to left tackle (a rare skill set). Nijman started a couple of games when Moton missed his first two games ever, and Zavala was able to plug in for Lewis for a game.

A year ago, events like that triggered an avalanche. This year, they've not only survived but established that standard. That started in March, when the new coaching staff met with players, and laid out the expectations.

"You never know when the scenario is going to come up with somebody's got to go to a different spot, and I always tell guys my whole thought process is if you're not a starter, what else can you do?" run game coordinator Harold Goodwin said. "Which, we're fortunate because not many teams have a Brady that can play guard, tackle, and center.

"My biggest thing is if you don't start, what else can you do? And then, we just trying to cross-train everyone because obviously, when you go into the offseason, we know Ickey's going to be a starter. You know T-Mo's a starter, you know AC's our starter, you know Damien's a starter, you know Rob's a starter. So everybody else has to be flexible, so we're big on that."

That meant teaching Christensen how to snap. That means making sure Zavala gets some work in the middle, just in case. That means bringing along a trusted practice-squader like Brandon Walton, who Goodwin knows can plug in anywhere from their time together in Tampa (and Walton was activated for a game earlier this year when the injuries hit). That means making sure practice squad center Andrew Raym is ready to play guard too, because things happen.

"We always prepare people for the unthinkable," Goodwin said. "My big thing is to understand the concepts because you never know where you may have to play. So, if I understand the concept from a protection standpoint or a run-game standpoint, I should know what everybody does. I'm big on just not knowing what you do in a position everybody does, so it's easy to communicate nonverbally and verbally on the grass because we can see the same thing from a conceptual standpoint."

Having a larger coaching staff helps as well. Goodwin focuses on the guards, and Joe Gilbert concentrates on the tackles, as they did together on a Super Bowl staff in Tampa. They brought Keli'i Kekuewa in from Seattle to work with the centers, allowing them to specialize and give individual attention. They also have offensive quality control coach Dean Petzing working with their group, giving them more eyes on the project.

They've even changed the way they sit in the meeting room to make sure the lessons have a chance to sink in. In the past, the seating chart was the same as the depth chart, with Ekwonu on one end and Moton on the other. Now, they've put the guards and the centers up front with Goodwin and Kekeuwa and the tackles along the back row with Gilbert as they drill down into what they're teaching.

It's a small thing, but as the Panthers try to establish a larger system this year, they're the kind of things that are allowing tangible results to appear.

Hubbard loved the guys like Ekwonu and Moton and Corbett and Christensen, whom he had known from the past. But when they added Hunt and Lewis this offseason, he could tell that attitude was being taken up a notch.

"We had a great mindset; we're dogs, and we love running the ball," he said. "And to bring in those two guys who I also love, that just kind of formed the chemistry between all of them and kind of put it all together.

"I say it every week. I'm lucky to be able to run behind them and have that group."