Panthers' Jonathon Brooks Elevated to Active Roster; Status vs. Giants TBD

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales confirmed the team is activating rookie running back Jonathon Brooks.

Canales said the team hasn't made any decisions over Brooks' availability for Sunday's game against the New York Giants in Munich. It needs to see how he performs at practice over the next few days.

The Panthers knew when they selected Brooks with the No. 46 overall pick that it would be a while before they'd see a tangible return on their investment. He tore his ACL a little less than a year ago as a junior at Texas.

Carolina signaled in mid-October that Brooks was in the final stages of his recovery when it opened the 21-day window for him to practice before either being activated or placed on season-long injured reserve.

"This is really a 12-month recovery for this injury," he told reporters. "So, for me to be back in 11 months, it feels like I feel good. I just say the progress that I've made from going back when I first heard it, I didn't know it was — obviously like everybody overreacts, but it seemed like I wasn't even going to be able to play a game."

The Panthers have been leaning on Chuba Hubbard as their No. 1 option on the ground. The fourth-year back has gone for 665 yards and five touchdowns on the ground through nine games.

With the team sitting at 2-7, there's almost no chance Carolina can climb back into a playoff position. The rest of the season is about laying the groundwork for 2025, so having Brooks in the backfield could at least generate some excitement about next year.

Depending on how he performs, the former Longhorns star might also have a big impact in a lot of fantasy football leagues.