The Panthers made Jonathon Brooks this year’s first running back chosen, trading up (via the Colts) to No. 46 for the Texas product. No other team chose a back in the first two rounds, with Brooks going off the board 20 slots before the next RB (the Cardinals’ Trey Benson) was taken. While the Panthers have big plans for the rookie, an on-field role will need to wait.
Several weeks before Brooks was drafted, a report pegged his timetable as rather different than the one that actually took shape upon the talented ball-carrier joining the Panthers. Brooks was expected to be ready for training camp, but an early-August offering outlined an early-season window — potentially Week 3 or Week 4 — for the former Bijan Robinson backup to debut. The expected placement on the NFI list would mandate Brooks sits until at least Week 5.
Viewing the Giants as a threat to nab Brooks at No. 47, the Panthers traded up — using two fifth-rounders as ammo to climb six spots — to land their hopeful running back of the future. Brooks would certainly have been chosen earlier had he not suffered the serious knee injury, but the Panthers are early in a rebuild and are aiming to exercise caution with his recovery. As it stands, Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders are in place as Carolina’s top RBs.
Brooks’ rookie deal runs through the 2027 season, while Hubbard is in a contract year and Sanders’ contract features a fully guaranteed 2024 salary. A future in which neither veteran is on the 2025 team exists, clearing a path for Brooks. For now, however, a player who amassed 1,139 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just 11 games last season will have approximately an 11-month recovery timetable (Brooks went down Nov. 11, 2023).
The Panthers also were undoubtedly intrigued by Brooks’ light carry workload in college, due to Robinson’s entrenchment atop the Longhorns’ depth chart. Brooks totaled just 51 carries between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, creating the possibility for a longer NFL career — once he completes his rehab effort. Once Brooks is activated, he will almost definitely be eased into action as Hubbard and Sanders remain in the picture.