Why I'm Buying the Early Panthers Hype Around Jonathon Brooks

The Carolina Panthers have been getting bad news left and right at training camp. Taylor Moton kick-started the camp session by being placed on the NFI list for blood clots. Jaycee Horn cut his foot and had to get stitches, too.

Then, disaster really struck. Three Panthers have been carted off: Nic Scourton (out for the season with a torn ACL), Mitchell Evans (ankle roll, back soon), and Chris Brazzell II (torn LCL, out for the season).

But there has been some good news. Hype is building for Bryce Young, who is having one of his best training camps against this vaunted new-look Panthers defense. But the real hype is for Jonathon Brooks, and I'm buying every bit of it.

Why you should believe the Jonathon Brooks hype from Panthers camp

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathn Brooks (25) makes a catch during the first day — Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (25) makes a catch during the first day | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is and should always be some trepidation over a player who has torn the same ACL twice in a span of 13 months. Jonathon Brooks had barely recovered from the initial injury when he did it again. That's bad, and his knee is certainly weaker now.

We will forever hold our breaths when he makes a sharp cut, especially on Bank of America's turf field. But the hype is building for Brooks, and it's more than justifiable.

Put aside the injury trepidation for a moment and let's remember the sort of player Brooks was. In college, he had similar stats to Ashton Jeanty, who was a top-10 draft pick and is poised to quickly become one of the best backs in the NFL.

In 2024, Brooks was projected to be a first-round pick, so the only reason he was on the board in the second round was that torn ACL. Otherwise, he'd have been long gone. He was a fantastic prospect, and he's finally ready to play.

Now let's consider the type of player he is currently. Head coach Dave Canales said he's seeing zero hesitation from Brooks. It remains to be seen what genuine NFL contact might do to him, but so far, he's unafraid to do anything on that knee, which is a fantastic sign.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (25) yells to his teammates | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He has also made some excellent plays in the passing game, perhaps revealing a wrinkle to his game that wasn't there before. The Panthers coaching staff reportedly believes Brooks is going to transform their running game and push Chuba Hubbard for the RB1 role.

If they, who see him every single day, firmly believe those things, everyone else should, too.

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