Fantasy Alert: Panthers' Jonathon Brooks to Stay on PUP with Injury, Miss 1st 4 Games

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks will reportedly miss the first four games of the 2024 NFL regular season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Panthers plan to keep Brooks on the physically unable to perform/non-football injury list, meaning he will be ineligible to play for the first month of the 2024 campaign.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales previously said Monday he was unsure if Brooks would remain on the PUP list, per ESPN's David Newton (h/t CBS Sports).

Brooks suffered a torn ACL in November while playing for the Texas Longhorns in a game against TCU.

Prior to getting injured, Brooks was establishing himself as one of the top running backs in college football, as he rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns , while also catching 25 passes for 286 yards and a score in 11 games.

The 2023 season marked Brooks first opportunity to prove himself as a feature back, and he did enough to convince the Panthers to spend an early draft pick on him despite the injury.

In fact, Brooks was the first running back off the board in the 2024 NFL draft, going 46th overall to Carolina in the second round.

That pick was made one year after the Panthers made a regrettable decision by signing running back Miles Sanders to a four-year, $25 million contract in free agency.

Sanders was a bust in his first season with the Panthers in 2023, rushing for just 432 yards and one touchdown on 129 carries, while catching 27 passes for 154 yards over 16 games.

The veteran lost the starting job to 2021 fourth-round pick Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 902 yards and five touchdowns, and also reeled in 39 receptions for 233 yards, giving him his first career season of over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage.

Hubbard figures to be the Panthers' starter for as long as Brooks is out, although Sanders should figure into the mix as well.

A strong running game is paramount for the Panthers this season, as they look to put quarterback Bryce Young in a position to succeed.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft largely struggled as a rookie, going 2-14 as a starter and completing just 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Carolina acquired Young a new wide receiver in Diontae Johnson, while also selecting wideout Xavier Legette in the first round and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Brooks was a selection meant to make life easier for Young as well, but it appears the Panthers won't be able to put that plan into action until later in the season.