Brooks ($5,000) has been dealing with soreness and was a limited participant in practice Wednesday with a groin injury. However, Panthers’ HC Dan Canales expressed to the media that he is very confident Brooks will play in Sunday’s season opener vs. the Bears, per the Athletic’s Joe Person.
With Brooks expected to suit up, what can we expect from the back vs. the Bears?
Jonathon Brook’s Week 1 Outlook
Brooks hasn’t played in almost two years after he tore his ACL for the second time three weeks into his rookie season in 2024. Brooks only saw nine carries before getting hurt that year and he missed the 2025 season as he recovered.
While Brooks had some hiccups recently, the injuries appear to be minor and he has had a strong training camp with the Panthers according to many reports. While we haven’t seen much of Brooks at the NFL level, the back was terrific in his final season at Texas in 2023, rushing for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns and catching 25 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers used a second-round pick on Brooks and the team has big aspirations for the back with him finally long past his major injuries. The Panthers open the season in a friendly matchup, too, as the Bears gave up the fourth-most yards per rush lat season (4.9).
The issue is, given his injury history, Brooks likely won’t see a big workload right out the gate. Carolina’s coaching staff likely wants to ease Brooks back into action and veteran Chuba Hubbard ($5,500) leading this backfield in touches in Week 1 makes a ton of sense. Brooks could see around 10 touches, but that anything more that feels aggressive.
Brooks is a viable RB3/FLEX that could score a touchdown, but his floor is shaky and benching him for Week 1 feels like the right move, as you likely have a safer option to consider. While Brooks may start the season with a quiet showing, don’t panic, as his role should grow each week and the back should display big upside once he gets acclimated.
