Panthers plan to play RB Jonathon Brooks with first team on Saturday

Published August 12, 2026 02:37 PM Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is slated to play in his first NFL preseason game this weekend and the team plans to have him see early action against the Bills. Brooks missed the last two preseasons while recovering from torn ACLs, but has been practicing without issue this summer and head coach Dave Canales said on Wednesday that the plan is for him to rotate with Chuba Hubbard while the starting offense is in the game this weekend.“He’s in great shape. He’s ready to rock, he’s ready to play football,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “And so now that’s just the next part of it. And you know, he’ll play with the first group, he’ll mix in and out with Chuba, and we’ll be able to get a good look at those guys with a couple of drives.”Brooks last saw game action in Week 14 of the 2024 season, so any playing time on Saturday would be significant. The fact that it will come with the first team sets the stage for Brooks to make a real impact in Carolina this fall.