Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks re-tore his right ACL during Sunday’s Week 14 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles due to a right knee injury, according to NFL Media. This is the same knee that Brooks tore his ACL in just 13 months ago when he was playing collegiately at Texas.
Brooks suffered the non-contact injury in the first quarter after taking a first-and-10 handoff from the Philadelphia 23-yard line. As he ran left and tried to plant his foot down to make a cut, he went to the ground awkwardly. Brooks could be seen trying to hobble to the sideline before being looked at by the training staff on the field as he held his right knee. The back was later carted to the locker room and officially shut down for the rest of the day.
Given that this was the same knee Brooks had surgery on to repair a torn ACL last season at Texas, there was an even greater level of concern with his status. Now, those fears are realized with this latest tear for the young back, who faces another long rehab process.
Because of that prior injury, Brooks’ NFL debut was delayed after being selected with the No. 46 overall pick in the second round last spring. He began the year on the non-football injury list and made his professional debut just a couple of games ago in Week 12. Heading into Sunday’s game, he had logged 25 yards rushing on eight carries and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards. Before going down with this latest injury, Brooks ran just once for a 3-yard loss.
