Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Brooks is ready to hit after missing the entire 2025 season with another ACL tear.
“I’ve been cleared by my surgeon,” Brooks said Tuesday, via the Charlotte Observer . “(Panthers vice president of health and performance) Denny (Kellington) and the training staff and the coaches have a plan for me. And, you know, just going out of what they tell me to do. And just taking it as it is, you know. Just getting better every day — and yeah, I’m cleared to go.”
He added: “Obviously it’s something I need to work on, but yes, I feel close to 100%.”
The former 2024 second-round pick has played in just three career games due to an ACL tear. The first occurred in 2023 while at Texas, causing him to miss the first 10 games of his rookie season. In the third game of his career, he again tore the ACL in his right knee. He would go on to miss the entire 2025 season. In two years, he has compiled nine rushes for 22 yards.
“To be completely honest, I don’t think any rep I had my rookie year was good,” Brooks said. “There’s a lot that I want to work on, and that was also the frustrating part of it. For the limited contacts that I had, I knew what I needed to do better. And you know, the fact that I got hurt again, that’s what I feel like at first made me so angry, because I knew that I had so much to show and fix and that I should just prove that I’m worth it, I know what I can do, I don’t care what other people think.”
Looking at the future of the Panthers RB position, the injuries forced Carolina to pivot. However, the club did not replace the production of Rico Dowdle next to Chuba Hubbard. The rest of the RB room includes 2025 fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne and former Packer AJ Dillon, who had been dealing with a serious neck injury.
The composition of the crew suggests the 22-year-old Brooks will have a chance to carve out a key role in Dave Canales’ offense — if he can stay healthy.