Jonathon Brooks took another huge step Wednesday toward making his NFL debut.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll happen, though.

The Carolina Panthers announced on Wednesday that Brooks, their 2024 second-round draft pick, has officially been activated to the 53-man roster. That means he will be available to play for the first time in his NFL career on Sunday and could make his long-awaited pro football debut when the Panthers face the New York Giants in Munich, Germany.

It doesn’t, however, guarantee that he’ll be on the field on Sunday. There is the possibility that he is on the active roster but doesn’t play to ensure more time to recover from his ACL tear from a year ago — a possibility head coach Dave Canales addressed with reporters on Wednesday.

After all, the Panthers have a bye week Week 11, so Brooks being a “healthy scratch” against the Giants buys two more weeks of recovery.

“Those are all great questions to consider,” Canales said of the looming bye week and how that affects Brooks’ debut. “No. 1 for Brooks, and No. 2 for the team, making that decision for the team and whether he comes in and helps us currently. So we have to make that decision after these next two days.”

Brooks, the 6-foot, 207-pound bruiser out of Texas, has spent the first nine weeks of the NFL season on the non-football injury list — a station he’s been at since mid-June, right before the start of NFL training camp.

This was a result of the running back suffering an ACL tear on Nov. 11, 2023 against TCU. When healthy he ravaged opposing Big 12 defenses without compunction. In 2023, as a redshirt sophomore, Brooks had 187 carries for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns and added 25 catches for 286 yards and a score — all in just 11 games before suffering his knee injury.

Brooks starting the regular season on the NFI list meant that he’d miss the first four games. Canales and the Panthers handled the five weeks after that cautiously. Brooks had his 21-day practice window open after Week 6 — 21 days ago, to be exact. If Carolina had elected to not activate Brooks to the roster before 4 p.m. Wednesday, the franchise would have lost him for the season, per NFL roster rules.

Brooks considers his return as ‘a blessing’

When asked about the prospects of his return, Brooks’ initial reaction was to smile. And who could blame him?

“It’s truly a blessing,” Brooks said. “I’ve fought my way hard through rehab and just mentally and physically getting back to this point and feeling 100%, being able to be ready to be back on the field.”

On if he feels healthy enough to play Sunday: “I feel like whatever’s thrown at me, I’m gonna handle it well. Whether that’s a good amount of plays, whether it’s not as many, I’m going to give my best effort on each play. And just try to be a good teammate and help the team as best I can.”

It’s worth noting the Panthers acted cautiously with Brooks by design. Emerging from the draft, the Hallettsville, Texas, native was expected to be ready to go by training camp, particularly as his ACL tear was a reportedly clean and complete tear, suggesting the recovery wouldn’t be so complicated.

That timeline continued to be pushed back, however — not by any setbacks, necessarily, but by virtue of the Panthers wanting to ensure that their running back of the future isn’t rushed in any phase of his recovery.

There was no reason to rush, after all. The Panthers, despite being bruised and bloodied everywhere else, have a stable full of running backs who continue to shine as bright spots on the team.

Starting running back Chuba Hubbard is on track to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing. He has 665 yards and five touchdowns on the ground through 10 weeks, with two of those scores coming in a Week 10 win over the New Orleans Saints at home.

Behind Hubbard is Miles Sanders, the running back the Panthers have used almost exclusively in third-down situations, and Raheem Blackshear, who has yet to notch a handoff this season but is the team’s starting kick returner and punt returner.

Speaking of Jonathon Brooks ... how does his activation impact Miles Sanders?

Speaking of Brooks: How does his potential arrival impact the running back room? Specifically Sanders.

That’s a pair of questions general manager Dan Morgan has mulled over a bunch, really since Brooks’ return seemed imminent after his 21-day practice window opened a few weeks ago. He answered to that Wednesday.

”Listen, in this league, it’s a long season,” Morgan said. “And you need a lot of backs. Guys get hurt. Guys get injured. I think we’re lucky in that sense that we have four really good backs if you include Raheem Blackshear that we’re really excited about. And we’re still excited about Miles.”

When asked specifically if teams inquired about Sanders prior to the trade deadline: “I’m gonna leave those conversations between me and Miles. But we’re happy to have Miles here.”

Sanders signed to the Panthers on a four-year, $25 million deal in 2023 fresh off a 1,000-plus-yard season in Philadelphia. The 27-year-old speedster has flashed in moments but also hasn’t been as productive as his contract assumed he would; he’s rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown and caught 21 passes for 98 yards.

Brooks’ arrival makes the room more competitive, and there already weren’t enough handoffs to go around — particularly with Hubbard (on a contract year) running the way he is now. Hubbard is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards, and according to PFF, he ranks ninth among running backs in yards after contact per carry. Expect him to get plenty of chances against the Giants, who are last in the league in opponent yards per rush (5.2 yards a carry) and 29th in opponent rush yards per game (142.6 yards per game).

With Jonathan Mingo gone, Jordan Matthews might be in wide receiver sets

Morgan also discussed a variety of other topics on Wednesday afternoon. Among them included his dealing of second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The Panthers’ receiving corps is now Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Adam Thielen (if healthy) and ... Jordan Matthews?

Yep.

Canales said Matthews, who signed to the roster from the practice-squad last week, will help fill in the lack of receiver depth on Sunday.

“You know he’s a tight end now, by training,” Canales said of Matthews. “But I think he’s the second-leading catch-and-touchdown-maker on our team after Adam Thielen. So I got a lot of confidence in Jordan, and we’re going to count on him to help us out too in that way.”

Canales said Matthews will line up as a wideout at times, as well as attached to the offensive line. The head coach also said he’s “counting on Deven Thompkins helping us at wide receiver,” too.

Quick hits

▪ Jaden Crumedy, another rookie who has spent the entirety of his rookie season on the injured reserve list to date with an ankle injury, was also activated to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. He, too, will thus avoid the rookie redshirt year — as his 21-day practice window opened the same time as Brooks’ did. The sixth-round draft pick told The Charlotte Observer that he’s excited to get a chance to play in Germany and that his time on the sideline — adjusting his technique, learning an NFL playbook — has been beneficial to him.

▪ Canales said that D.J. Wonnum, recovering from a quad injury and a bunch of complications stemming from that, looks “great” and that there is a possibility he makes his Panthers debut this week.

▪ Per Zebra Sports, rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders caught 4 of his 5 targets for 87 yards in Week 9 against the Saints, generating the most receiving yards over expected in a game by a rookie TE this season (+50) — some more deserved attention from a breakout performance against the Saints.

▪ Defensive back Jaycee Horn was involved in a mild spat on X, formerly Twitter, after the Panthers defeated the Saints. New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan lamented the fact that “we just lost to the Panthers...”, of which Horn replied: “Don’t we got the same record or I’m trippin?” Horn laughed as he briefly rehashed the exchange on Wednesday.

”I think guys just like to take their shots at us while we’re down,” Horn said. “But Saints, I don’t know if buddy think they’re the Chiefs or whoever he think they’re supposed to be. But that ain’t nothing. They lost the game, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.”

▪ The Panthers, once again, had a lengthy injury report on Wednesday. Those who did not play: Jadeveon Clowney (rest/knee), Ikem Ekwonu (ankle), Jaycee Horn (rest), Chuba Hubbard (rest), Josey Jewell (rest), A’Shawn Robinson (rest), Adam Thielen (hamstring), Deshawn Williams (illness), Xavier Woods (rest/shoulder). Those who were limited: Lonnie Johnson (quad), Jammie Robinson (knee).