Brooks (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports. Brooks was a full practice participant during the entirety of preparations prior to the Panthers' last game Sunday, Nov. 10 against the Giants in Munich, Germany, but Carolina ultimately included him among its inactives for Week 10. Following the team's Week 11 bye, he remains uncapped on the practice field, and coach Dave Canales told Steve Reed of the Associated Press on Wednesday that he has "high hopes" for Brooks making his pro debut Sunday against the Chiefs. Brooks likely will take a back seat to Chuba Hubard in his initial NFL forays, but the rookie second-round pick should have some sort of regular role, considering the draft capital invested in him.
Unlock the latest Carolina Panthers news — direct to your inbox.
Status
ACTIVELatest Jonathon Brooks news
Jonathon Brooks Career Stats
Jonathon Brooks Player Profile
Career History
Jonathon Brooks Fantasy Projections
Check back soon for fresh projections!
Can't wait for more data?
Join dfsPro Daily for free
AI-powered Fantasy Picks
Year-Round.
Jonathon Brooks Latest News
Remains full practice participant
Brooks (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports. Brooks was a full practice participant during the entirety of preparations prior to the Panthers' last game Sunday, Nov. 10 against the Giants in Munich, Germany, but Carolina ultimately included him among its inactives for Week 10. Following the team's Week 11 bye, he remains uncapped on the practice field, and coach Dave Canales told Steve Reed of the Associated Press on Wednesday that he has "high hopes" for Brooks making his pro debut Sunday against the Chiefs. Brooks likely will take a back seat to Chuba Hubard in his initial NFL forays, but the rookie second-round pick should have some sort of regular role, considering the draft capital invested in him.
Tracking toward debut in Week 12
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that he "fully expects" Brooks (knee) to play Sunday against the Chiefs, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports. Brooks has been out all season while recovering from the torn ACL that he suffered last November during his final collegiate campaign at Texas, but he was a full participant in practices in Weeks 9 and 10 before Carolina went on bye for Week 11. Assuming he experiences no setbacks with his surgically repaired right knee during Week 12 prep, Brooks should be ready to handle a complementary role behind starter Chuba Hubbard. With Hubbard still expected to see the lion's share of the snaps and touches out of the backfield moving forward after inking a four-year, $33.2 million extension earlier this month, Brooks will likely struggle to earn enough volume to make for an appealing option in fantasy lineups.
Not debuting in Germany
Brooks (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants in Munich, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. The Panthers brought Brooks back from the reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday, but the decision to activate him may have had more to do with the running back's 21-day evaluation window coming to a close rather than him being deemed ready for game action. Brooks proceeded to turn in a trio of full practices for the second week in a row and had been listed as questionable heading into Sunday, but before turning him loose for his NFL debut, the Panthers will give the rookie running back more time to rebuild strength in his knee from the torn ACL he suffered Nov. 12 of last year during his final collegiate season at Texas. After the Germany game, the Panthers are on bye Week 11, so assuming Brooks experiences no setbacks during Week 12 practices, he should suit up Nov. 24 against the Chiefs. Brooks is likely to begin his career in a complementary role in the backfield behind Chuba Hubbard, whom Carolina signed to a four-year extension earlier this week.
Listed as questionable
Brooks (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, with coach Dave Canales suggesting Friday that the running back's active status will be a difficult decision, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. Canales said Brooks, OLB D.J. Wonnum (PUP, quad) and S Jordan Fuller (IR, hamstring) are "making it hard on us" in reference to their Week 10 availability. The other two remain on reserve lists, whereas Brooks was activated from ithe reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday to avoid the end of his 21-day practice window (and reverting to IR for the rest of the season). The rookie was a full practice participant all of last week and this week, which at least suggests he's likely to play after a Week 11 bye, if not this Sunday in Munich, Germany. The Panthers will release their inactive list about 90 minutes before the 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff.
Will be activated Wednesday
Head coach Dave Canales said Brooks (knee) will be activated from the reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday, but he isn't certain whether or not the running back will play Sunday against the Giants in Munich, Field Yates of ESPN reports. Dating back to last week, Brooks now has been listed as a full participant on four consecutive injury reports, but the Panthers continue to take a cautious approach with the rookie second-round pick as he gets back to full health from the torn ACL that he suffered in his right knee last Nov. 12 during his final collegiate season at Texas. If Brooks doesn't make his pro debut Sunday, Chuba Hubbard will continue to lead Carolina's backfield, while the team uses their Week 11 bye to get the former ready for its next game Nov. 24 versus the Chiefs.
Logs another full practice
Brooks (knee) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports. Brooks was a full practice participant throughout last week but wasn't activated from the reserve/non-football injury list ahead of the Panthers' 23-22 win over the Saints. Instead, head coach Dave Canales suggested after last Friday's practice that the rookie likely would make his NFL debut this coming Sunday against the Giants in Munich, per David Newton of ESPN.com. In order for that to come to fruition, the Panthers will need to move Brooks from the NFI list to the active roster this week.
Pro debut pushed back again
Brooks (knee) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Saints, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports. Carolina has been taking an extra cautious route with the later stages of Brooks' recovery from the ACL tear that he sustained in his right knee last Nov. 12. His practice regimen during Week 7 prep was LP-DNP-LP, followed by three consecutive capped sessions last week and a trio of full practices this week. Even so, Brooks' pro debut will be delayed to next Sunday, Nov. 10 against the Giants. In the meantime, the Panthers will continue to roll with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders out of the backfield.
Questionable, but unlikely for Week 9
The Panthers list Brooks (knee) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints, but head coach Dave Canales said that the running back is unlikely to be activated from the reserve/non-football injury list prior to the Week 9 contest, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. Brooks concluded his third week of practice with the Panthers on Friday after he had his 21-day evaluation window opened back on Oct. 16. He turned in a trio of full practices from Wednesday through Friday and seemingly came out of those workouts without any setbacks to his surgically repaired right knee, but the Panthers are leaning toward giving the rookie running back more recovery time before clearing him for his NFL debut. Per Newton, Canales believes that Brooks will be ready to play Week 10 against the Giants in Munich, but Carolina will first need to add the 21-year-old to its 53-man roster to make that a reality. If activated next week, Brooks is likely to be eased into action in a complementary role behind Chuba Hubbard, who has excelled as Carolina's lead back this season.
Another full practice Thursday
Brooks (knee) practiced fully Thursday. Brooks has been slowly but surely increasing his practice reps the past few weeks, logging non-consecutive limited sessions two weeks ago, three straight capped sessions last week and now two straight full practices this week. The Panthers have until next Wednesday to activate him from the reserve/non-football injury list, but considering his activity level so far this week, he may be on the brink of his professional debut. For his part, Brooks told Steve Reed of the Associated Press that he's getting more confident in his surgically repaired right knee with each practice, but the rookie was non-committal when asked if he'll play this Sunday against the Saints. His listing on Friday's injury report could be telling for his chances to make his debut this weekend.