© Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman
Buccaneers' NFC South Rival Bolsters Offense With Running Back in Second Round
The Panthers are tooling up on offense to compete with the Buccaneers.
To be the man, you gotta beat the man. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the man, and the Carolina Panthers — and the rest of the NFC South — are looking to dethrone them.
Carolina's next step in trying to do so is by drafting Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, who will now be a new weapon in the NFC South for the Bucs to contend with. Brooks will play for former Bucs offensive coordinator and current Panthers head coach Dave Canales, whose commitment to the run game is well-known.
Brooks is a talented back, having netted 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Longhorns last year, but that comes with injury concerns. Brooks tore his ACL in November last year, and while he has assured teams he'll be ready for the NFL season, he is still recovering from that injury. That doesn't appear to have deterred the Panthers much, though, as they traded up in the second round to grab him with the No. 46 overall pick.
Brooks will create a tandem with running back Chuba Hubbard, which should prove to be a nuisance to Tampa Bay's defensive front. It takes a lot more than that to build a contender, though, and the Panthers still have a long way to go before stepping toe to toe with the Bucs.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.
