Jonathon Brooks injury update: Dave Canales addresses chances of Panthers RB making debut vs. Saints

The Carolina Panthers are anxiously awaiting the debut of rookie running back Jonathon Brooks. He’s been recovering from an ACL injury that he suffered at Texas last year. And it’s been a slower process than what was initially expected. But, it appears that Brooks is finally inching closer to officially returning to the field.

#Panthers HC Dave Canales on the plan for Jonathon Brooks:

“We gotta look at him the full week. Again — Jonathon first. Thinking about him, making sure that he’s confident and ready to go. So, we’re gonna stack up a few more days here before we make that decision.” pic.twitter.com/DNKhiCSEr4

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) October 30, 2024

“Full week. So, we’ve got to look at it the full week. Again–Jonathon first. Thinking about him, making sure that he’s confident and ready to go. So, we’re gonna stack up a few more days here before we make that decision,” Canales explained.

The Panthers selected Brooks in the second round of this year’s draft. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list to start his rookie season as he suffered a torn ACL last November while playing for the Texas Longhorns. He returned to practice a few weeks ago, but the team has been waiting to insert him into official game action.

Brooks was the first running back taken in the 2024 draft, and the Panthers hope he brings explosiveness to the running game. Before his injury at Texas, Brooks rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games.

What the Panthers are expecting from Brooks this year

“Explosive ability, combination of size and speed,” Canales said when discussing what stood out with Brooks in college. “(His) body control I thought was really rare for what we’ve seen in the past couple of years. A really fluid catcher out of the backfield, the ability to hit the home run, to take it the distance and a natural patience in his run style. So, he has a combination of a lot of great traits that you hope for.”

The good thing for Brooks is there’s no pressure for him to contribute right away as the Panthers’ run game has been strong. Running back Chuba Hubbard has rushed for 593 yards and three touchdowns through eight games, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. As a receiver, Hubbard has hauled in 26 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown.

He’s coming off a 2023 season where he rushed for 902 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games.

On3’s Brian Jones also contributed to this article.