Major update on rookie Jonathon Brooks as injuries pile up for Carolina Panthers in camp

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Rookie running back Jonathon Brooks will miss the entire preseason, and his outlook for the Carolina Panthers’ regular-season opener against the New Orleans Saints is in question.

Brooks, who tore his ACL last November while playing for the Texas Longhorns, has been sidelined since the Panthers traded up to select him in the second round of April’s draft with the 46th overall pick. At the time, Brooks, head coach Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan said that the running back’s projected return timeline was anticipated to be during training camp.

Now, two weeks into summer workouts, that timeline appears to have been adjusted, at least slightly, according to Canales.

“It’s something that we expected, even just coming into the spring, we just knew that the timeline and the progression of where he was at,” Canales said. “We knew we were not going to have him for the preseason. And even if he was kind of ready, you know, it’s still a confidence thing.

“We want to be able to just ramp him up, little by little, to the point where he feels ready to go. So, it’s kind of been in the works.”

The head coach was asked whether Brooks could begin the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and Canales said that was a possibility. If that were to happen, Brooks would miss the first four games of the regular season.

However, when Canales was asked whether Brooks could return before that reserve period of four weeks, Canales said that outcome was also possible.

“The on-field progression, the types of cuts — linear running versus the change of direction versus going over bags and then progressively getting into team sessions — that whole thing has got to be right,” Canales said. “Particularly when we transition to straight line to change of direction and the aggressive manner — that’s going to be really the limiting factor, or the determining factor, of how soon we can get him back or when we should be thinking, you know, conservatively.”

Jonathon Brooks’ timeline fallout

With Brooks sidelined, the Panthers have been rolling with a steady diet of Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear carries in the backfield. Hubbard, the projected starter, has had a strong camp so far, while Sanders has also shined with the occasional highlight as a receiver and runner. Blackshear has also done a nice job with the second-team offense.

Veteran running back Rashaad Penny decided to retire last week, and Mike Boone has taken advantage of additional reps. Boone also has received praise from Canales for his work within the offense. Undrafted rookies Jaden Shirden and the newly added Dillon Johnson are also competing for roles.

If Brooks were to start the year on the PUP list, the Panthers would probably go with a rotation of three or four running backs. While Hubbard, Sanders and Blackshear all appear to have roles, Boone could force his way onto the roster as a special teams contributor and deep depth backup at running back.

More injuries: Shaq Thompson, Ian Thomas sidelined

The Panthers have had bad injury luck with tight ends this summer.

Stephen Sullivan was placed on injured reserve with a quad injury last week, while Tommy Tremble has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. On Saturday, Canales said veteran tight end Ian Thomas is dealing with a calf injury that could sideline him all the way up to Week 1 of the regular season.

Despite the Thomas injury, Curtis Hodges, who signed last week, was waived with an injury designation to make room for safety Clayton Isbell, who returned to the organization after being cut in a wave of first-week roster moves.

Canales said Tremble is roughly a week away from returning to the field.

Fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders, veteran Jordan Matthews and quarterback-turned-tight end Feleipe Franks were the only players to practice at the position Saturday.

“First and foremost, great opportunities for Ja’Tavion, for Jordan, and for Feleipe to really get honed in on their craft,” Canales said. “But really, practicing with three tight ends is really iffy, so we’re looking, we’re doing our due diligence. We have some guys that we have our eye on that we’re going to try to bring in, in short order, because we’ve got to be able to practice with a strong group. It’s good for both sides.

“The defense needs to see multiple tight end sets. It’s a big part of what we do. So, we’ll definitely be looking for someone else to have another opportunity to show us who they are, in case we need them going forward.”

Linebacker Shaq Thompson watched his third consecutive practice while he deals with a hamstring injury. Left guard Damien Lewis was also sidelined with a shoulder injury, which limited him last week.

Thompson was replaced by Claudin Cherelus on the first-team defense, while Lewis was, again, replaced by Chandler Zavala as the first-team left guard.

Backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who suffered a quadriceps injury on Tuesday, was on the field with sunglasses but no helmet. Dalton missed Thursday’s Fan Fest practice at Clemson as well. Undrafted rookie Jack Plummer, for a second consecutive practice, took the bulk of the second- and third-team reps at quarterback.

Outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quad) and Amare Barno (knee) and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (undisclosed) remained on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list but were all seen on the field during the workout.

Play of the day: Bryce Young finds Diontae Johnson on the run

During the first stretch of 11-on-11 drills, quarterback Bryce Young found himself rolling out of the pocket. He kept his eyes down the field and unloaded a mid-range toss to wideout Diontae Johnson, who had a couple of steps of free space from a defender.

Young, on the run, put the ball where only Johnson could get it, as the quarterback’s throw led the wideout across the field. Johnson extended his arms and hauled into a leaping grab for a big gain.

Young’s chemistry with Johnson has constantly been on display this summer. Even when they are working together on a failed play, they seem to find each other. On the final play of the day, Young hit Johnson for what would have been a huge gain on a diving catch but the referees ruled the completion to be out of bounds.

Quick hits

▪ Plummer had a few nice tosses as the backup quarterback. He made an excellent throw to first-round pick Xavier Legette on an out route to the sideline for roughly 25 yards. He also hit wideout Jalen Coker for a big gain down the left sideline, which was ruled inbounds, despite Coker seemingly stepping on the sideline. Later, Plummer had a nice mid-range toss to Ja’Tavion Sanders for a gain of 10 to 12 yards.

Plummer is getting an opportunity to impress in camp, and while he’s been up and down in that regard, Saturday was a nice output for the rookie.

▪ Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is having a strong start to camp. He’s gotten the best of basically anyone who has lined up against him at right tackle. DJ Johnson, last year’s third-round pick, started opposite Clowney at outside linebacker for a second consecutive workout.

▪ Veteran kicker Eddy Piñeiro continues to have an excellent camp. He was 5 for 5 on field goals (again) on Saturday.

▪ With Panthers legend Julius Peppers entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, coaches and staffers wore special shirts to practice. Canales said the team planned to watch his induction between meetings, but the ceremony was delayed because of rain. Canales said they’d watch cut-ups of Peppers’ speech later in the day.

▪ After practice, the Panthers signed veteran defensive back Anthony Brown, following a workout. Brown, a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. The 30-year-old cornerback has 324 tackles, four sacks, 59 pass breakups and nine interceptions on his resume. Defensive back Kiondre Thomas, signed last week, was waived in a corresponding move.

▪ The Panthers’ next training camp practice will take place at 9:30 a.m Sunday at the practice facility outside Bank of America Stadium. The practice is sold out, according to the team.

▪ The Charlotte Observer will host a special night with Panthers legend Mike Rucker at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Olde Mecklenburg Restaurant & Biergarten at Ballantyne (15025 Bowl St. in Charlotte). Join Scott Fowler, Mike Kaye, Alex Zietlow and Rucker as they take a look at the past, present and future of the Carolina franchise. Tickets are $5 for Charlotte Observer subscribers.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Best Defense Foundation, a charity founded by former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards in 2018. OMB Ballantyne also will make a donation to the foundation based on customers rounding up their check totals during the month of August.

▪ Follow The Observer’s Panthers beat reporters, Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) and Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05), and sports columnist Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) on “X”, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest news and highlights.