Panthers' Dave Canales confirms Jonathon Brooks debut vs. Chiefs

Jonathon Brooks is set to hit the field for the first time this season.

The Carolina Panthers will be getting one of their key offensive players on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs, as Jonathon Brooks is set to make his season debut. Brooks has not played since tearing his ACL in his final season at Texas. At practice, head coach Dave Canales had a few words to say about Brooks' debut in Week 12.

“Jonathon Brooks ‘absolutely' is playing Sunday,” Canales said via Panthers reporter Joe Person.

“He had a great week,” Canales continued, via the Panthers' team website. “He's been involved with the plan, and he looks confident. He was running hard, he was making cuts, you know, kind of starting to develop the second level part of his runs, which is what I wanted to see. I wanted to see him hit the hole, go through it, see the finish and all that. So, I'm excited to get him out there this week.”

Having Brooks on the field will be big, as Miles Sanders will be out with an ankle injury that he suffered in Week 10. Brooks will most likely be the backup to Chuba Hubbard, who has had a few good games in the past couple of weeks. He's also not expected to be on a pitch count in his season debut, so he may see a lot of time on the field if he's playing well.

Jonathon Brooks expected to make season debut for Panthers

Jonathon Brooks has been a full participant in practice this week and was officially listed as questionable on the Panthers' injury report. Brooks is looking to make a strong rookie debut after having a solid season with Texas last season.

Brooks finished the college season with Texas with 1,139 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns but ended up tearing his ACL at the end of the season. That didn't deter the Panthers from drafting him, and they selected him in the second round with the 46th pick. Brooks had his practice window opened on Oct. 16, but they initially hoped that he would be ready months before then.

The Panthers haven't had the best season this year, so it wasn't a dire need to have him on the field. Chuba Hubbard also has been having a good year, so Brooks could take as much time as he needed. With him back in the fold toward the second half of the season, it would be good for the Panthers to see what they have in Brooks and if he and Hubbard can be a dynamic one-two punch for the team in the future.