Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks said he was “hopeful” to attend minicamp but “there is no set date” on his full return.

29 January 2026

Brooks missed the entire 2025 season after tearing his ACL for the second time in 2024. He’s still entering his age-23 season and the third year of his rookie contract, so we can’t rule out that he’ll see a real role with the Panthers in 2026. How the Panthers treat Rico Dowdle (or a replacement for Dowdle) in free agency will likely tell us a lot about how they view Brooks’ recovery, but Panthers GM Dan Morgan did praise how he was attacking his rehab and said he’s “looking great.”