AUSTIN, Texas — A frustrating NFL season has come to an end for Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks.
According to reports, Brooks tore the ACL in his right knee on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s the second time Brooks has suffered the injury after tearing the ACL against TCU last year.
Carolina selected Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and cautiously eased him into the season. The Panthers were also 3-9 before Sunday’s game, giving the team less reason to rush Brooks back.
Brooks made his first appearance of the season in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs but only rushed twice for seven yards in the loss. He put together a solid showing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week later, rushing six times for 18 yards while catching three passes for 23 yards.
However, in the first quarter against the Eagles, Brooks got hurt on his only carry of the game and immediately hopped off the field. He would not return to the game.
“My heart is with him,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said about Brooks’ injury on Monday. “The amount of hard work that he put in to get back to this place, to get him to play … He’s heartbroken, I’m heartbroken. The whole group just feels for him.”
In his only season as the starting running back for Texas, Brooks finished with 187 carries for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also established himself as a threat in the passing game with 25 catches for 286 yards.
Canales said Brooks would undergo surgery for the repair “at some point.”