The Carolina Panthers have spent months carefully managing Jonathon Brooks' recovery from the second ACL tear of his football career.
While the organization has understandably remained cautious, one of the team's biggest stars just provided the kind of update Panthers fans have been waiting to hear.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn recently offered a glowing assessment of Brooks following offseason workouts. His comments suggest the 2024 second-round pick out of Texas may be much closer to making a major impact than some expected.
Jonathon Brooks is already leaving a positive mark on Carolina Panthers teammates
"I forgot how fast he is. He had a couple plays where he turned on the jets," Horn said. "He's probably the guy I'm most excited to see coming back."
Brooks missed all of last season after a second ACL surgery on his right knee, and the Panthers have handled his ramp-up accordingly. OTAs and minicamp were controlled environments. The real tests come in training camp, particularly joint practices with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as preseason games.
But the fact that Brooks is flashing even at three-quarters speed should have Carolina fans excited.
Head coach Dave Canales has been direct about his offensive philosophy: a reliable run game is best for a developing quarterback. He's backed that up in practice, leaning on the run even when the numbers suggest he probably shouldn't.
That puts a premium on what's behind center on the ground. Chuba Hubbard enters the year as the presumed starter, and the track record is there. He racked up 293 touches in 15 games in 2024.
If injuries had not ruined Brooks, he would have easily been a first-round talent. Instead, the Panthers took him in the second round, and he's played in just three games since. The question has never been about the ability. It's always been about the knee.
Now, the only thing that will actually settle this is seeing Brooks take live snaps at full speed against NFL competition. That is something fans will need to wait for, but Horn already saw enough in shorts and helmets to declare him the player he's most excited about heading into 2025.Â
If that translates to competitive action, Carolina's offense has a dimension it hasn't had since Hubbard's best days.
If it doesn't, the Panthers are leaning heavily on a 27-year-old back in the final year of his guaranteed money with no real fallback option.
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