Sources: Panthers RB Brooks set for surgery, out at least 6 weeks — SkimNews
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- Jonathon Brooks is expected to undergo core muscle surgery Wednesday and will be sidelined for at least six weeks, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
- The Panthers placed Brooks on injured reserve Wednesday and are bringing in former Chargers and Commanders RB Austin Ekeler for a workout, league sources told ESPN.
- Brooks left Sunday's win over the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter with a groin injury, walking to the tunnel with a towel over his head and later limping to the locker room.
- A second-round pick in 2024, Brooks has now suffered three major injuries in roughly 18 months — he tore his right ACL in his final year at Texas, retore it in December 2024, and missed all of 2025 before this latest setback.
- In two games this season, Brooks produced 30 rushing yards on nine carries and 43 receiving yards on two catches; with Carolina's early Week 5 bye, the best-case scenario means he misses only five games.
- Veteran Chuba Hubbard will carry the load as starter (102 rushing yards, 1 TD; 5 catches for 49 yards, 2 TDs), with AJ Dillon as the change-of-pace option and Anthony Tyus III and Ahmani Marshall on the practice squad.
Why it matters: Brooks has now missed his entire rookie season, his entire second season, and at least five games of his third year due to three separate major injuries — a brutal return on a second-round pick. Carolina's backfield is functional with Hubbard already producing as the lead back, but the team holding a workout for the 30-year-old Ekeler signals real concern about its depth beyond Dillon.
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