NFL insider predicts when Jonathon Brooks will make his Carolina Panthers debut

Mike Kaye at the Charlotte Observer breaks down the timeline for rookie running back Jonathon Brooks' likely debut.

Tim Weaver | Oct 19, 2024

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Jonathon Brooks #24 and Xavier Legette #17 of the Carolina Panthers attend Carolina Panthers OTA Offseason Workout on June 04, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers may not be going anywhere this postseason, but between now and January we should get to see a whole lot of the class of 2024 on the field. That's good news for the future of this franchise, which desperately needs a youth movement to get going on the roster. Giving significant playing time to second-year players like Bryce Young and rookies like Xavier Legette, Trevin Wallace, Jalen Coker, Ja'Tavion Sanders and now Chau Smith-Wade is the way to go.

The biggest star in the group has not yet made his NFL debut, though. That's the team's highly-anticipated second-round draft pick out of Texas, running back Jonathon Brooks. He suffered an ACL tear in his final college game last November, but Brooks is expected to join the lineup soon, as the team just started his three-week practice window to ramp up for his launch.

When will that be? For that, let's lean on Charlotte Observer beat reporter Mike Kaye, who detailed the likely timeline for Brooks' debut on the Beyond the Beat podcast.

Charlotte Observer on Johnathon Brooks' timeline

"The Panthers are gonna take him along slowly in the 21-day window. I would expect for him to take up most if not all of that window to rev up, get ready for the weeks ahead. And if he were to take up the entire alotted time he would debut in Germany against the Giants on November 10th."

As Kaye pointed out and Brooks himself as acknowledged, there's really no reason at all to rush him into the lineup. The Panthers won't be making a playoff run his year, and the run game is already in good hands with Chuba Hubbard, who is enjoying a breakout season in the final year of his rookie contract.

According to ESPN, Carolina will not be trading Hubbard at the upcoming NFL trade deadline, so when Brooks does get activated to the 53-man roster he will project as the second option on the depth chart, one spot beneath Hubbard and one above Miles Sanders - assuming he's still around after the deadline, as well.