The NFL career of Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks has been a major disappointment thus far.
That's because Brooks spent the majority of his rookie campaign recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, only to tear his ACL once again, leading to him missing his entire sophomore season in 2025.
Ahead of what is a crucial offseason for the Panthers running back, he provided an injury update following Carolina's season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Brooks told reporters on Sunday that he's hopeful to be ready to go by minicamp, which will take place in June.
"I feel good, really good," he said, per ESPN's David Newton. "Towards the end part of everything, but, yeah, just feeling really good. Focusing on still getting 100%."
"That would be hopeful, yes sir," Brooks said of being ready by minicamp. "But, like I said, just kind of seeing where it takes me."
The Panthers have a key decision to make at running back that could impact how much work Brooks sees in 2026, assuming he returns healthy and is ready to go.
One of Carolina's pending free agents is Rico Dowdle, who stole the starting job from Chuba Hubbard during the regular season.
If Dowdle returns, the Panthers will have a crowded backfield and Brooks could be the odd-man out in that situation.
Carolina's willingness to bring Dowdle back will depend on a few things, like how expensive he ends up being and how ready Brooks is to step into the RB2 role.
If Carolina is confident Brooks will be ready to roll, that will only increase the chances that Dowdle is playing elsewhere in 2026.
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