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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Carolina Panthers entered the preseason with a clear pecking order at running back.
Veteran Chuba Hubbard would assume lead back duties, something he's done in Carolina for years, while Jonathon Brooks would be eased into a larger role as he prepares for his first NFL action since December 2024. Now, it's already looking like the opportunity for that to change has arrived.
Hubbard didn't practice with the Panthers on Thursday, and head coach Dave Canales later revealed that he's dealing with a hamstring injury and is considered "week to week." Canales said he expects Hubbard to be ready for Week 1, but the next three preseason games may give Brooks more than enough runway to make a case for lead back duties.
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Brooks entered the league as a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) in 2024 out of Texas, coming off a strong junior season in which he rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries — averaging 6.1 yards per carry — to go along with 286 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
He has the natural build of a true workhorse back at the NFL level and was widely expected to become one in Carolina. But he tore his ACL late in the 2023 college season and missed most of his rookie year in Carolina while recovering. When he did return in 2024, he appeared in just three games before tearing the same ACL again, costing him all of last season.
Now fully healthy, Brooks has drawn praise from coaches throughout camp, and Canales has already said he'll be a full go for the Panthers' preseason opener Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. After that, Carolina heads to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on Friday, Aug. 21, before returning home to host the Houston Texans on Friday, Aug. 28. The regular season follows, with the Panthers hosting the Chicago Bears in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Canales insists Hubbard will be ready by then, but hamstring injuries can be tricky and are easily re-aggravated. If Brooks plays to the level everyone's expecting throughout the preseason, he may do enough to lock down the lead role by the time the regular season arrives.
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