It has been a long journey back for Brooks, and now he's all gas, no brakes as the offseason workouts begin.
Former Texas Longhorns running back Jonathon Brooks is finally getting a clean run at this NFL thing after a couple of injury-interrupted years with the Carolina Panthers.
Having suffered two ACL injuries (one in college, one in the NFL in 2024), Brooks looks to be in a place where he can finally trust his body, and that is half the battle.
As the Panthers have begun OTAs, one noticeable thing is how much work Brooks is getting.
Granted, he hasn't done OTAs before due to injury, so it makes sense for the running back to get as much work as possible ahead of training camp.
Stacking good days after good days, along with taking care of his body, Brooks looks set to be a key cog in Dave Canales' offense in 2026.
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But given his injury history, is he surprised by how much work he's been able to get through at OTAs?
"I mean, because that roots back in my faith and I know that God is going to ultimately take control over everything that I do," Brooks said. "I'm behind the scenes doing a lot of work to make sure that I can be able to handle that workload.
"I'm just doing my part, listening to the training staff, listening to the coaches, and following their plan for me. And it's been good so far."
With a player like Brooks, who isn't used to this sort of NFL work, it would be a smart practice to ease him into the swing of things.
In fact, he was reportedly held out of a team period on Tuesday because of the workload he's already gotten through.
Given that Brooks hasn't had proper football practices for a long time, it can be easy to overdo it, and that is when bad things happen.
But how has he managed to not put too much on his plate this early in the offseason?
"As a football player, you kind of know," Brooks added. "Just reverting back to their plan, we have GPS, we have all of that to track a lot of that stuff. Just following their plan, trusting them, trusting that they have my best interests, and it's been good."
So, after a long time in the NFL wilderness, Brooks is starting to emerge from the darkness.
Yes, it is one step at a time, but he finally appears ready to give this NFL thing his best shot.
