Panthers open practice window for rookie RB Jonathon Brooks

The Carolina Panthers have designated rookie running back Jonathon Brooks to return from the non-football injury list on Wednesday. His practice window is now open, and the Panthers will have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.

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. On Monday, Panthers coach Dave Canales told reporters they expect Brooks to return to practice this week.

“He’s checked all the boxes in terms of his getting back to being able to practice, so we’re hoping to open up that window today. That’s a decision we’re going to have to make today,” Canales said, per the Panthers’ official website. “So we’re going to be talking about that and we have been, but excited to potentially get him out there and see what he looks like.”

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 like about Jonathon Brooks

“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 485 yards through six games and averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He’s coming off a 2023 season where he rushed for 902 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games.