It's easy to get caught up in the hype around running back Jonathon Brooks. He's barely been seen by the Carolina Panthers since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2024. Though it's still a gradual process, the early signs are incredibly promising.
The Panthers are taking things slowly with Brooks. He is chomping at the bit to get a full workload, but the coaching staff is building him up a lot more slowly. Even so, the explosive flashes being displayed at organized team activities could hint at a big role in Brad Idzik's offense if there are no further setbacks.
And one analyst believes a potential lead-back role could be in the offing for Brooks in the very near future.
Jonathon Brooks is the wild card that could transform Carolina Panthers' offense
Eric Brooks of ESPN acknowledged that Chuba Hubbard might be a safer option, but Brooks has the upside. And after the Panthers didn't do much to replace Rico Dowdle after he departed for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, the door has been swung open for the Texas product to feature prominently.
"[Jonathon] Brooks has intriguing upside if he can finally stay on the field. Carolina let Rico Dowdle walk and didn't draft a RB, leaving Brooks with a path to touches behind Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard is the safer option, but Brooks has the higher ceiling if his college explosiveness returns."
Expectations are increasing around Brooks. Suffering two torn ACLs on the same knee was a devastating setback that took a significant amount of resolve to come back from. The Panthers never lost faith, and the player fought through the mental strain to make a triumphant return to the practice field.
Now, if no more problems arise, it's all systems go.
The Panthers believed that Brooks could be a game-changer when they traded up to take him at No. 46 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. It hasn't been smooth sailing so far, which is putting it mildly. But that's what makes this comeback story so intriguing.
Brooks has been frustrated, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. While it's still a step-by-step process as intensity ramps up over the summer, the player has already achieved some considerable milestones on his road to redemption.
Carolina has Hubbard to lean on, especially in between the tackles. Brooks should be a change-of-pace option for off-tackle runs and obvious passing situations. But if everything goes according to plan, and the strength continues to build in his surgically-repaired knee, there is every chance he could become the No. 1 at some stage during the campaign.
And nobody will deserve it more.
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