Three weeks after returning from an ACL tear, Jonathan Brooks was injured again.
The Carolina Panthers running back slipped on the turf and hobbled to the sideline with a non-contact knee injury Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was eventually carted off to the locker room. The Panthers ruled him questionable to return with a knee injury.
The injury is a blow to the promising rookie who was selected by the Panthers in the second round of April’s draft out of Texas.
The injury occurred with the game tied scoreless in the first quarter. Brooks slipped on the turf on a cut and was in obvious pain. He tried to walk to the sideline, but fell again before he could do so.
Brooks was one of the top running backs in college football at Texas and was considered a potential first-round prospect. Tore the ACL in his right knee in November last season and fell to the Panthers in the second round (No. 46) in April’s draft. Even with his injury, he was still the first running back off the board in the draft.
Brooks sat out Carolina’s first 10 games while recovering from his injury before making his NFL debut in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He rushed eight times for 25 yards in two games while backing up Chuba Hubbard. Now, three games into his pro debut, Brooks is likely facing another extended absence.
When Brooks was injured, Hubbard returned to a bell-cow role as Carolina’s starting running back.
