CHARLOTTE — There is a lot about the Carolina Panthers that is still being molded. Who they can be on defense, what the ceiling is, and what their identity will be as a whole. But if there's one thing Dave Canales has made clear, it is that this will be a team that runs the ball.

The club invested in two 1,000-yard rushers the past calendar year, extending Chuba Hubbard and bringing in Rico Dowdle as a free agent, to join last year's second-rounder, Jonathon Brooks, who is recovering from an ACL tear. It might have seemed like an embarrassment of riches to then draft a rookie back as well in the fourth round of this year's draft. But general manager Dan Morgan saw a breadth of talent by bringing in Trevor Etienne that he couldn't pass up.

"He's a really good change of pace back for us," Morgan told the Panthers Television Network broadcast of Etienne during the third quarter of Thursday night's preseason game between Carolina and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"He catches the ball extremely well out of the backfield. He's different than Chuba. He's different than Rico, but I think it's a really good three guys that we have right there."

And Etienne made sure to prop up his GM's assessment during the first half of the 19-10 game.

Midway through the first quarter, on a first-and-5 from his own 28-yard line, Etienne took a handoff from Jack Plummer. He followed his blockers off the right guard, picking up a decent chunk of yardage already on the short chain. Then, he saw open grass to his left, bounced, and took off.

"So one of the D-linemen grabbed me and his momentum throughout the tackle just, you know, took me back to the left, and I just kind of went with the momentum of the tackle and just was able to make a play off of it.

"It's really just reacting at that point, like you have your pre-snap reads, you know, your landmarks, and throughout the play, but once everything gets cloudy and it gets fuzzy, you're just reacting to the defenders at that point."

Once out in the open grass, the former SEC back turned on the burners, cut an angle to the sideline, and then tightroped his way down the left edge for a 28-yard gain, flashing some of the speed that he promised is faster than his original 4.42 40-yard dash time indicates.

"I feel like," he smirked, "I feel like I'm 4.3, but you know what the numbers say."

The explosive play was one of a handful Etienne had Thursday night. He finished with three rushes for 39 total yards. He also added one kick return for 18 yards and one punt return for 10 yards.

"Trevor, just, I think just taking what's there," coach Dave Canales said of what has helped Etienne stand out this camp. "I think being a reliable catcher in the return game, you know, he's shown a lot of value that way, and so I'm just excited for what he can do for us on this team."

For Etienne's part, he's aware enough of what he can do differently from Hubbard and Dowdle. Those two are 6-1, 210 pounds, and 5-11, 215 pounds, respectively. The rookie Etienne is more stout, coming in at 5-8, 198 pounds. The physical differences alone allow him to bring something else to the field.

"I feel like both of those guys are bigger backs," explained Etienne. "I'm a smaller back, you know. I feel like I can make it through places they might not be able to, just that little wiggle, that little extra, by being smaller than those guys.

"And it's a lot I really learned from those guys and really take into my game that helps me be able to be more diverse in it."

The Panthers will shape their roster next week and then begin preparations for a Week 1 opener in Jacksonville, where Etienne's brother, Travis, is waiting.

There are decisions to be made about the entire team, including the running back room.

With one pillar of their team already set, though—a run-heavy offense—Trevor Etienne did his part Thursday night to show coaches how he can contribute to a three-headed monster.