The Panthers confirmed their status as NFL trade deadline sellers late Thursday when they announced that they had traded star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Carolina dealt McCaffrey to the 49ers in exchange for four future draft picks. The deal did not contain a first-round pick, but San Francisco is reportedly sending four mid-rounders to the Panthers, three of them in the 2023 draft.

The 49ers now have a true No. 1 running back for their offense. That will give Kyle Shanahan another weapon to take pressure off Jimmy Garoppolo and the passing game.

As for the Panthers, they are starting to prepare for the future. And that means evaluating their own running back situation.

With McCaffrey gone, the Panthers now have little certainty at the position. They have a six-year veteran and a few young players and will spend the rest of the season evaluating whether any belong on the roster long term.

That may not excite the average fan, but fantasy football players will certainly be wondering exactly what Carolina's plan will be.

Who is the Panthers' new starting RB?

he Panthers were one of the few teams in the NFL that didn't have a clear-cut backup running back. The team's official website listed Chuba Hubbard and D'Onta Foreman as second-string options behind McCaffrey.

Head coach Steve Wilks seemed to indicate as much in his Friday presser, telling reporters that Carolina would be enlisting a "running back by committee" approach for its Week 7 clash with Tampa Bay.

That said, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Hubbard will get the start for the Panthers against the Buccaneers. Still, it stands to reason that the Panthers will view Hubbard and Foreman as relative equals after trading McCaffrey. The two will likely split the rushing workload, though one may receive more carries in the immediate aftermath of the trade.