Three weeks after returning from a cruciate ligament tear, Jonathon Brooks is injured again.
The starting Carolina Panthers running back slid to the sideline with a non-contact knee injury against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Finally he was taken to the locker room on a cart. The Panthers ruled him questionable to return with a knee injury.
The injury is a major blow to the promising rookie the Panthers selected out of Texas in the second round of April’s draft.
The injury occurred in the first quarter and the game was scoreless. Brooks slid to the turf after being cut and was clearly in pain. He tried to walk to the sideline, but fell again before he made it.
Brooks was one of the best running backs in college football in Texas and was considered a potential first-round pick. He tore the ACL in his right knee last November and fell to the Panthers in the second round (No. 46) in April’s draft. Even with his injury, he was still the first back off the board in the draft.
Brooks played Carolina’s first ten 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 after his professional debut, Brooks may be facing another extended absence.
With Brooks injured, Hubbard returns to a bell-cow role as Carolina starts at running back.
