Jonathon Brooks didn’t get his moment with two of the Panthers’ most recognizable visitors on Tuesday, but that didn’t shake his focus.
Steve Smith Sr. and Chad Ochocinco were on the practice fields behind Bank of America Stadium for Carolina’s first padded practice of the summer, and Brooks noticed both of them. Still, the running back kept his attention on the work in front of him.
“No, I didn't get the chance to interact with them,” Brooks said. “I wish I did.”
Ochocinco was in town to help promote the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, while Smith - the Panthers’ all-time leading receiver - is a familiar presence around the team. Brooks said it was still meaningful just to see them, even if he never got the chance to say hello.
“I think that was pretty cool that they were out there, seeing two guys that I've looked up to my whole life and watched growing up,” Brooks said. “I didn't get a chance to interact with them.
“I just wanted to stay focused. I really want to be focused on what I have in front of me this year and just stay focused.”
That mindset has been central to Brooks’ journey back onto the field. The third-year running back is in his first pro training camp after a long recovery from back-to-back knee surgeries, and he spoke Tuesday about how much the process tested him.
A 2024 second-round draft pick, Brooks first injured his right knee in his senior season in college. The second injury came without contact when he tried to make a cut as a rookie. He spent all of 2025 rehabbing.
Brooks said his fiancée and teammate Chuba Hubbard were both important parts of that stretch, and he credited Hubbard with helping him grow into a professional despite the setbacks.
“To be honest, it sounds cliché to say, but I don't know where I would be (without Hubard),” he said. “Since I first got here, you know, I came in with an injury and he helped me.
“He took me under his wing and really guided me how to rehab, how to practice, all of that. And then, especially when I got hurt again.
He was right there with me. He helped me throughout the whole way.
“He was there when I got baptized and that just goes to say how much we've grown, our brotherhood.”
Brooks’ return has shown up in the work, too. Through OTAs and the first four training camp practices, he has continued to flash the speed and elusiveness that pushed general manager Dan Morgan to take a chance on an injured player.
Coach Dave Canales put it simply: “He looks like the guy I remember,”
Brooks sat out the first three months as a rookie, then finished with 22 yards on nine carries and three catches for 23 yards. Two of those receptions moved the chains.
With the Panthers set to play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6, Brooks said he’s eager for that first live cut move since the injuries.
“For me, being back out there, it definitely is a confidence booster to know that I'm fully healed,” Brooks said. “I can take hits again and I can be out there with my teammates, doing everything that I need to do to help the team.”
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