Bryce Young is entering the important year of his NFL career. Free agent additions Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd were brought in to elevate the defense. Tetairoa McMillan and Nic Scourton are also expected to play major roles.
Yet when FOX Sports analyst Ben Arthur identified the Carolina Panthers' biggest X-factor for 2026, he didn't choose any of those guys. Instead, he pointed to running back Jonathon Brooks.
“Brooks, a 2024 second-round pick, missed the entire 2025 season due to an ACL tear. If he's healthy and lives up to his draft slot, it would take a tremendous amount of pressure off Bryce Young in a pivotal year for the quarterback and the Panthers. There’s a void in Carolina’s backfield after the free-agent departure of Rico Dowdle, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season.”
It's a bold call. It also might be exactly right.
Rico Dowdle took his talents to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina didn't exactly scramble to replace him. That's where Brooks comes in.
Brooks was a 2024 second-round pick out of Texas, but injuries have shadowed him from the jump. He tore his ACL in college, came back and made the roster, only to tear the same ACL in the same knee again.
The good news is that Brooks has been cleared by his surgeon and was a full participant at OTAs this spring. Consecutive ACL tears are far from ideal. We won't really know where he stands until pads come on at training camp.
Chuba Hubbard is the projected starter heading into camp. However, his 2025 was underwhelming — 3.8 yards per carry and one rushing touchdown.
That's not an iron grip on the RB1 role. Dowdle proved it was possible to wrestle that job away mid-season. Brooks could do the same.
Even if he doesn't take over as the lead back, last season showed there are enough carries for two players to contribute in this offense.
While most fans are watching McMillan, Young, and the new defensive additions. Brooks is the one who could actually flip the script on this offense.
A healthy, productive version of him gives the Panthers something they’ve never really had from that draft pick. If he gets back to full health, the Panthers' offense takes a step up. If he doesn't, a significant part of their 2026 plan is improvised from week 1.
That's what makes him the X-factor.
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