Jonathon Brooks injury update: Panthers RB tore ACL vs Eagles
Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks suffered a non-contact injury in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
The rookie running back exited the game and was carted off from the Panthers sideline with an apparent knee injury.
Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 draft, and the team hoped he could add explosiveness to their underwhelming offense, which ranks 30th in the league in scoring. He was selected with the 46th overall pick but received tough news on Monday.
Here's the latest on the Panther's running back's status:
Jonathon Brooks injury update
On Monday, December 9, Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced that Brooks tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in Sunday's loss to the Eagles and will be out for the rest of the season.
Canales added that Brooks and the team were "really crushed" by the injury. “He’s heartbroken, I’m heartbroken. The whole group, just feeling for him.”
After the game, Canales said that Brooks was experiencing pain and that the team needed to get imaging done on the knee to determine the severity of the injury. Those tests revealed a torn ACL, and Brooks' season is over.
Brooks exited the game late in the first quarter, with 2:27 on the clock.
The Panthers listed Brooks as doubtful to return with a knee injury soon after he exited the game.
Brooks received a handoff on first-and-10 at the Eagles' 23-yard line, and he fell to the ground before contact. Trainers helped him off the field, and he immediately entered the blue medical tent. Shortly after, Brooks was carted to the locker room.
This was Brooks's third game in the NFL. He spent the first part of the season recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in his final year with Texas, which was also his right knee. The initial injury occurred on Nov. 11, 2023, and he reinjured the same leg just over a year later.
When was Jonathon Brooks ACL injury?
Brooks tore his right ACL in Texas' 29-26 win over TCU on Nov. 11, 2023. Despite the injury, the Panthers still loved what they saw from Brooks while at Texas. They liked him enough to make him the first running back selected in the 2024 draft.
The Panthers placed him on the NFI list to start the season and he made his NFL debut in Week 12 against the Chiefs.
Panthers RB depth chart
- Chuba Hubbard
- Raheem Blackshear
Chuba Hubbard has been the starter, with Miles Sanders in the backup role. Hubbard has a team-high 1,045 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns.
Sanders was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 12 with an ankle injury. His earliest return is Week 16.
Blackshear is questionable, having a chest injury of his own in Week 14, so Hubbard will receive plenty of work against the Eagles.