Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks has experienced a rough start to his NFL career, having all but three games in two seasons wiped out by injury. The Panthers believe Brooks is about to turn a corner.
"Really looking forward to, just the hard work that J.B. has had to do over the last couple of years to get him to this point," coach Dave Canales said Thursday at the opening of training camp, . "He feels great. He feels strong. He looks fast; he looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that.
"But more so just, for a guy to go through things and to be able to have the emotional and mental resiliency to go through that training twice, to get himself back, this is a celebration, and you can feel the gratitude in him; you can feel the focus and how important this opportunity is for him."
According to reporters on the scene, Brooks had a few "pop" plays in Thursday's practice, flashing the ability the Panthers believed in when making him a second-round pick in 2024. Of course, until the pads come on later in camp, we won't know truly how good the RB looks.
Following a right ACL tear to end his college career at Texas, Brooks missed most of his rookie season. He returned in Week 12; however, in just his third game back, he suffered another ACL tear in the same knee. The Panthers ruled out the RB for the 2025 season in May of last year.
Brooks has nine career NFL carries entering Year 3. Since his last year of high school football in 2020, Brooks has had 30 or more carries in a season once -- 187 in 2023. In 2021 at Texas, he took 21 carries. In 2022, 30. In 2023, 187. In 2024, 9. In 2025, 0.
The Panthers believe in the talent the 23-year-old showed that magical 2023 season. It's not just glowing words, either; the makeup of the RB room suggests they believe Brooks will have a significant role. After losing Rico Dowdle in free agency, the Panthers didn't add another major piece to the backfield, not drafting an RB and signing veteran AJ Dillon (who has his own injury history).
Carolina opens camp with Chuba Hubbard as the starter and Brooks in line to be the primary backup. If he stays healthy and lives up to the pre-draft billing, Brooks could push for a carries split during the season.
