It has been a difficult few years for the Carolina Panthers as they’ve endured mishandling of their team.
It has been an even more difficult few years for Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks, who looked to start his NFL career strong after being activated in November following recovering from a torn ACL last season in college.
In Brooks’ third game since being activated, he suffered a tough non-contacted knee injury in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles. The worst fears were realized on Monday as NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed Brooks suffered his second ACL tear in 13 months.
Jonathon Brooks suffers another setback
Near speechless, Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters, “He’s heartbroken, I’m heartbroken.”
It takes a lot for a player in any position to come back from a devastating knee injury. For Brooks, he has endured the challenge again in the same knee.
He previously suffered an ACL tear in the Longhorns’ 29-26 road win over the TCU Horned Frogs on November 11.
At that point, Brooks was one of the best running backs in college football. In 10 games played, Brooks rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries. He was also a reliable pass-catcher in the backfield as he caught 25 receptions for 286 yards and a touchdown. Brooks had six 100-yard rushing games last season at Texas.
Brooks was a player who had first-round talent and potential for the 2024 NFL Draft. There was a serious chance he could’ve gone in the first round. Carolina took a chance on Brooks, despite his injury, as they needed elite talent. The Panthers took Brooks with the 56th overall pick as teams were passing due to his injury.
