Mum is still the word on the Week 1 status of Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks.
Head coach Dave Canales spoke with reporters following Monday's practice, the team's first ahead of this weekend's regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears. When asked about the outlook for Brooks, who worked off to the side this morning, Canales kept playing his cards close to his chest.
"I hope so. Again, we're just gonna have to keep taking it one day at a time," he replied. "He ran out there today, and then we'll evaluate what that looked like, we'll see that compared to what he looked like before and we'll go from there."
Brooks was also held to the side during last week's sessions with what Canales has described as "general soreness." Canales did,
however, say that he was "very optimistic" about the third-year rusher's chances of suiting up at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.
The Panthers selected Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But thanks to a pair of ACL tears, he's appeared in only three regular-season games since—making his "general soreness" a bit of a concern to those on the outside looking in.
But if Brooks is ready to go, what can the Panthers expect out of him in 2026? Canales later stated that he's hoping Brooks' versatility will show up this season.
"The film that I remember is a guy who just makes plays in space, down the field in the pass game, the screen game, the home-run speed and his ability—once he sets an angle, all of a sudden, you see people turning and realize he's moving a lot faster than you think he is because he's such a smooth, long strider," Canales added. "It's a factor, it's a pretty special dynamic."
This past summer marked the first preseason action of Brooks' NFL career. He played in two of the Panthers' outings, rushing for 23 yards on eight carries and adding a 9-yard reception.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Here's the latest update on Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks' Week 1 status
