Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks talked about his return to the field after dealing with injuries.
The Carolina Panthers wrapped up their second preseason game on Saturday, falling to the Buffalo Bills 29-14. It was an ugly showing for the first team offense as they were on the field for nine plays and had a total of 11 yards.
There weren't many bright spots for the Panthers' first-team offense as Dave Canales had hoped to see more from his team. But there were some intriguing storylines for the game both before and after.
One of the big storylines was the return of running back Jonathon Brooks who played in a game for the first time since the end of the 2024 season. Brooks had just three carries for five yards as he got some work in with the first team and played into the second quarter.
Following the game, Brooks talked about his emotional return.
"I mean, a preseason game for me is like an actual game," Brooks said after the 29-14 loss to the Bills on Saturday via Panthers.com. "You go out there, you want to put your best foot forward. You've got to treat every game as if it's the Super Bowl or like it's your last play.
"So, I think it was definitely good for me to get out there. Definitely got a lot of things to work on, excited for it, and we're walking out of here, so that's the big thing."
Despite the low output, it was an important time for Brooks in his return. Just getting out there and getting reps is huge for him, especially after sitting out an entire year.
The Panthers have big plans for Brooks still, as he will likely be splitting time with Chuba Hubbard this season. Canales was happy to see him out there as well.
"It just felt good to see him out there running, getting hit, getting tackled, popping up, going back to the huddle," Canales said. "Somewhere in the second half I walk up to him, and I got a little emotional just knowing the journey that it's taken to get back to this point, out on the grass in a stadium.
"And so I was really pleased with just JB being able to get out there and get back going."
Brooks will likely get another chance to get out there on Friday as the Panthers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
