Jonathon Brooks Injured, Latest Updates, Timeline for Panthers RB's Return After Surgery

The Carolina Panthers placed running back Jonathon Brooks on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning he will have to miss at least the next four games.

However, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , Brooks' absence will extend even longer than the minimum four games, as he is expected to miss at least the next six games after undergoing core muscle surgery.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz followed up by reporting that the Panthers are bringing in veteran free-agent running back Austin Ekeler for a visit Wednesday, as they search for some potential depth behind RB1 Chuba Hubbard.

After a strong collegiate career at the University of Texas, Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL draft, as the Panthers took him 46th overall in the second round.

It was widely expected that Brooks would be the Panthers' starting running back of the future, but that has yet to come to fruition due to a multitude of injuries.

Brooks played only three games as a rookie, as he spent much of the season rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in college before tearing his ACL again just a few games into his NFL career.

The Panthers then held Brooks out for the entire 2025 campaign so he could recover from the second successive ACL tear.

With the 23-year-old Brooks seeming to be largely healthy during training camp this year, he once again became a trendy pick to lead the Panthers' backfield and break out.

Because of that, he was a popular sleeper selection in fantasy football drafts, often being picked ahead of Hubbard.

Brooks had only 11 touches over the Panthers' first two games this season, though, rushing nine times for 30 yards and catching two passes for 43 yards.

Meanwhile, Hubbard cemented himself as the Panthers' starting running back once again, rushing 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, and catching five passes for 49 yards and two scores through two games.

Now that Brooks is once again set to miss an extended period of time, the backfield essentially belongs entirely to Hubbard in Carolina.

AJ Dillon is the only other running back on the Panthers' active roster right now, and while he had some success in the past, including averaging nearly 729 rushing yards per season with the Green Bay Packers from 2021 to 2023, he is a somewhat one-dimensional, between-the-tackles bruiser.

If the Panthers sign Ekeler, it will give them more versatility since he is a quality pass-catcher with 480 career receptions to his credit, but Ekeler and Dillon would likely only have specialized roles, while Hubbard continues to take the bulk of the snaps and opportunities.