Jonathon Brooks injury update: Panthers RB expected NFL debut game revealed

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is expected to make his NFL debut next week against the New York Giants, per ESPN’s David Newton. Brooks hasn’t played this season and has been recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season at Texas.

Additionally, outside linebacker DJ Wonnum is expected to make his debut for the Panthers against the Giants and wide receiver Adam Thielen is also expected to return from injury, barring any last-minute trades.

Brooks was listed as questionable this week leading up to the game. Nonetheless, the Panthers are opting to be cautious and slowly return him to action.

The organization drafted Brooks with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons at Texas, where he spent time learning from standouts such as Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson.

In the 2023 campaign, Brooks was Texas’ No. 1 RB. He finished the season with 1,139 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries. He also notched 22 receptions for 212 yards and a score en route to Texas’ first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Although Jonathon Brooks is yet to make his debut for the Panthers, head coach Dave Canales has liked what he’s seen from the rookie RB in practice.

“Explosive ability, combination of size and speed,” Canales said when revealing what stood out about Brooks’ game 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.”

With Brooks still on the sideline, the Panthers will square off against the Saints on Sunday. Tune into the game on CBS.