Jonathon Brooks is finally getting his shot. The Panthers' 2024 second-round pick — No. 46 overall, the first running back off the board that year — has been chasing his NFL debut for almost two full seasons, and it's happening Saturday against the Bills.
Panthers third-year running back Jonathon Brooks will appear in the first preseason game of his NFL career on Saturday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, against the Buffalo Bills. Story via @mike_e_kaye: https://t.co/YXdwRnZ9le
The wait has been brutal. Brooks tore his ACL late in his final season at Texas, then tore the same knee again during his rookie campaign with Carolina after finally debuting in Week 12. He landed on IR, then opened 2025 on the PUP list, meaning this preseason opener is the first time NFL fans actually get to watch him play meaningful snaps in a Panthers uniform.
The door opened wider Wednesday when Sleeper reported Chuba Hubbard is week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Hubbard, who signed a 4-year, $33.2 million extension with Carolina, was Brooks' presumed 1B in the backfield — now he's on the shelf for at least a bit, and Brooks is stepping into the lead role instead of splitting reps.
Sleeper's account fired off a hype clip declaring Brooks' moment has arrived after Hubbard's injury news broke.
That's a real change from Tuesday, when both backs were expected to play together. By Thursday morning, Sleeper confirmed Brooks isn't just playing — he's starting. For a guy who's caught bad injury luck at every turn, that's a meaningful vote of confidence from the Carolina coaching staff heading into a game against Buffalo's starters, with Josh Allen and company also expected to see the field.
It matters beyond one preseason snap count too. Fantasy drafters have been circling Brooks all offseason as a name to watch, and an unclogged workload — even in a game that doesn't count — is exactly the kind of signal that moves ADP. Sleeper's own community graphic had him sitting around pick 92.8 among backs before this news broke; a clean, featured look Saturday could push him a lot higher.
Yahoo Fantasy's Josh & Hayden broke down how a fully healthy Brooks could reshape Carolina's backfield pecking order.
None of this locks in Brooks as Carolina's lead back once the games count for real — Hubbard is the extension recipient and the incumbent for a reason. But for a player who's had almost nothing go right physically since college, just trotting out onto Highmark Stadium's turf Saturday is the story. Whatever he does with the ball is a bonus at this point.