Jonathon Brooks Injury Update Is Bad News for Panthers Star Rico Dowdle

It is impossible to tell what a player will look like in the immediate aftermath of two ACL tears on the same knee within the span of 13 months. The Carolina Panthers are about to find out, though.

Jonathon Brooks was a promising NFL draft prospect and likely first-rounder before tearing his ACL in November 2023. The Panthers traded up for him in the second round after he slid due to the injury.

He returned a year later, and by December 2024, he had torn the same ACL again. It prompted them to change course in 2025 by signing Rico Dowdle as the backup.

Despite being on a one-year deal, Dowdle was excellent and took the starting job and never looked back. Now, however, the Panthers face a conundrum. Do they rely on Brooks to get healthy or try to bring Dowdle back after a 1,000-yard season?

According to NBC Sports insider Matthew Berry, they're leaning towards the former. Brooks is apparently doing well, which pretty much makes the decision pretty easy for the Panthers.

"While he had some great games with the Panthers this year, expect Rico Dowdle to move on this offseason. Carolina is very happy with Chuba Hubbard and I hear Jonathan Brooks’ rehab is actually going great," Berry revealed after the Combine.

Hubbard is the Panthers RB1, no matter what happened during that stretch while he dealt with a calf injury. They were never going to replace him, and with Brooks doing so well, Dowdle is the odd man out.

Is Jonathon Brooks a better option than Rico Dowdle?

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

As mentioned at the top of the article, it is impossible to determine what Jonathon Brooks will look like. He looked good and explosive after one ACL recovery. Whether or not he will after a second to the same knee in such a short amount of time is hard to predict.

If he is even at 80% of what he looks like, he will be a better back than Rico Dowdle. Brooks had a gear that, to be truthful, neither Dowdle nor Chuba Hubbard has. He was explosive in space and dynamic with the ball, although he had less than 10 carries to show that off.

Regardless, though, he'll be cheaper and have less wear and tear than Dowdle. Plus, Dowdle is a little disgruntled after the way the season ended (though his inefficiency and inability to make an impact didn't help). Brooks has no untoward feelings about the Panthers.

The duo of Brooks and Hubbard will be good enough as a one-two, and if the Panthers really feel that they need a third good running back, they will probably turn to someone cheaper in free agency on another one-year deal.