Jonathon Brooks is drawing attention before the 2026 season even gets here, and ESPN’s Ben Solak has put the Carolina Panthers running back at the center of the conversation by calling him the team’s biggest X-factor.
That label makes sense when you look at how little Brooks has actually been on the field. He has played in only three NFL games since the Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2024 draft. Carolina drafted him after he tore his right ACL in his final season at Texas, then watched his rookie year turn into another setback when he debuted in the middle of the 2024 season and tore the same ACL again in his third NFL game.
Solak sees the upside as obvious if Brooks can finally stay available.
"Brooks was drafted to be the dominant drumbeat as a 20-plus-carry player and the home run threat on quick passes and screens that Canales has always schemed up well. If we finally get to see the player who has been promised, it'll move the needle on Carolina's season," Solak wrote. '
The Panthers’ backfield is crowded enough that Brooks won’t walk into anything. Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne are both back from last season, and Carolina also added AJ Dillon in free agency. That mix makes Brooks’ role one of the more interesting questions heading into 2026.
Brooks, for his part, says he’s making progress.
“Feels good getting back to the football movements,” Brooks said. “Obviously it’s something I have to work on.
Feel close to 100 percent, getting there. Still just going with the plan they have for me.”
Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik has been encouraged by what he’s seen so far, and he made that clear on May 27.
"He looked great out there yesterday," Idzik said on May 27. "He's attacking and everything he does, and then there'll just be continued dialogue with him of saying, 'Hey, here's what we need out of you.'
Let us know too if there are other ways to feature your skill set, because I love the two-way street from player to coach, from coach to player, to make sure that they're communicating with us. You guys have ownership in this offense, too.
I want to make sure we're highlighting everything that you do."
Carolina is coming off a playoff run after winning the NFC South last season, though that postseason trip ended with a home loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
The road ahead in 2026 won’t be easy. The Panthers’ schedule includes the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
In Other News...
Panthers Backfield Plan Leaves Jonathon Brooks Facing A Familiar Problem
The Panthers are heading into the season with a backfield setup that should feel familiar to anyone who watched them last year. According to ESPNs Dan Graziano and offensive coordinator Ben Canales, Carolina plans to split carries between Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks, with Hubbard positioned to handle most of the work as long as he stays healthy. Brooks, meanwhile, is expected to mix in on third downs and in other situational spots, giving the room a layered but clearly defined hierarchy.
For Brooks, the arrangement leaves him in a role that looks a lot like what the Panthers already tried when Hubbard shared the load with Rico Dowdle. That split produced mixed results, and now Carolina is essentially betting it can get more out of the same kind of approach with a different cast of backs. The real question is whether Brooks can carve out a meaningful weekly role without the kind of steady volume that usually helps a young runner settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Chuba Hubbards New Panthers Role Says A Lot About 2026
Chuba Hubbards place in the Panthers offense is changing again, and this time it comes with more than touches and responsibilities. Named a team captain for the 2026 season, Hubbard enters the year as one of the clearest veteran voices on a roster trying to build on its 2025 playoff appearance, a sign that Carolina values him as much for his presence as for what he does with the ball.
With Rico Dowdle gone, Hubbard is expected to have a larger role in the offense, which makes the captaincy feel even more meaningful. He has already been a key contributor in previous seasons, and now the Panthers are asking him to help steady a group that wants to take the next step while leaning on familiar leadership in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Bryce Young Decision That Could Define 2027
The Panthers have spent plenty of energy trying to build around Bryce Young, but the offense still feels like the part of the roster most likely to drag the team backward if things go wrong. Any slide could put Carolina in position to chase a top-10 pick in 2027, and that sort of outcome would force another hard look at how much progress has really been made since Young arrived and how much more help he still needs.
FOX Sports insider Rob Rang pushed that conversation into the draft lane with a mock projection that sends wide receiver Cam Coleman to Carolina as a possible way to keep Young supported. It is the kind of suggestion that reflects both hope and uncertainty around the quarterback spot, because the Panthers may soon have to decide whether another year of patience is the right answer or whether the clock on the Young era is already starting to get louder. [Read more 🡒]