CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Another major bump in the road has arrived for Jonathon Brooks.

The Carolina Panthers running back, who has only played in five of a possible 36 NFL games since being drafted in 2024 due to serious and various injuries, is headed back to injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

This time, the second-string running back will undergo surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The former Texas Longhorn will be out 6-8 weeks after his surgery, head coach Dave Canales said Wednesday, which would mean his earliest return date would be sometime in November.

“It was a pretty significant groin injury, and we got multiple opinions about what’s the best course of action,” Canales said. “And Jonathan’s going to have surgery to repair the injury, and the timeline of return, surgical or non-surgical, was going to be similar.”

As for Brooks’ mood, Canales said: “Yeah, he was bummed. This hit him hard. ... This is a part of this process, as your body figures out how you’re going to go forward.”

Brooks’ move to the injured reserve opened up a spot on the team’s 53-man active roster. The Panthers’ front office used that opportunity to sign safety Isaiah Simmons, promoting him off the practice squad. Simmons, a former first-round pick out of Clemson and a special teams ace, has been elevated from the practice squad to the game day roster the first two weeks of the 2026 season and has played in both games for Carolina (1-1).

Carolina now has five safeties on its active roster: Tre Moehrig, Lathan Ransom, rookie Zakee Wheatley (who caused a fumble on the first play of the game Sunday), Simmons and veteran Nick Scott — who suffered an abdomen injury on Sunday. Scott’s injury timeline is still to be announced but he didn’t practice Wednesday.

Simmons’ promotion thus opened up a spot on the practice squad, which was then filled by linebacker Maema Njongmeta. The Panthers could use the linebacker depth after reserve LB Claudin Cherelus also suffered an injury against the Falcons and left Sunday’s contest early. He also didn’t practice Wednesday.

More on Brooks’ injuries

In the Panthers’ 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Brooks had to exit early. The team told reporters at the time that Brooks had re-aggravated a groin issue that he’d suffered late in camp, but clearly his absence was more than precautionary.

This is devastating news for Brooks, the running back who made his return to the football field in 2026 after two years of watching from an NFL sideline.

The 6-foot, 216-pound playmaker suffered a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season in 2023. The Panthers then drafted him in the second round at No. 46 overall out of Texas and were cautious with his return to the field. But in his third game back early on against the Philadelphia Eagles, he suffered the same tear in the same knee. In 2025, the Panthers put him on the season-ending injury reserve before his second season could begin.

The 2026 season, thus, was supposed to be a year of triumph, of redemption. He had a remarkable preseason — and had a lot of eyes on him especially with Chuba Hubbard missing several preseason games due to an injury of his own. Most importantly, though, Brooks was healthy. The only blip on his radar arrived right before Week 1, when he showed up on the team’s injury report with groin soreness; he played and made an impact Week 1 regardless.

Then came Week 2, when Brooks took his final snap in the second half and limped to the locker room, towel over his head, and proceeded to watch the rest of the game on the sidelines.

In 2026, Brooks has recorded nine carries for 30 yards, his longest rush being seven yards. He’s also hauled in two catches for 43 yards; receiving was the part of his game that the Panthers were quite entranced by coming out of college.

Will the Panthers bring in another running back?

In light of the Brooks injury news, the Panthers hosted veteran running back Austin Ekeler for a workout Wednesday.

The potential addition of 31-year-old Ekeler — even to the practice squad — would bolster the team’s running back room that is quite thin at the moment; the team only has Hubbard and AJ Dillon on its active roster. Ekeler tore his right Achilles in September 2025. Dillon is expected to be the No. 2 back on Sunday vs. Cleveland.

On Wednesday, Canales said that Anthony Tyus III will be activated for the game Sunday. Tyus is currently on the practice squad.

Trevor Etienne, the team’s starting kick/punt returner and reserve running back, is still on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s final preseason game. The former fourth-round draft pick won’t be back, at earliest, until Week 6, after the team’s bye in Week 5.

Other Panthers notes

— Fresh off the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award, linebacker Devin Lloyd missed practice Wednesday due to a calf injury. Lloyd said he and the team were being “ultra-cautious” with the injury and sounded like he expected to play Sunday. “It’s not anything I’m too worried about,” Lloyd said.

— Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (back) also missed practice, as did Waller (vet rest day), Scott (rib), Jalen Coker (ankle) and Cherelus (shoulder).

— Was Coker’s foray into punt returns a one-game thing that will be reserved for special occasions? That certainly seems possible, now that the Panthers have signed Ihmir Smith-Marsette. He took most of the punt returns in the portion of practice open to the media Wednesday, although John Metchie took a few. Coker (ankle) was limited in practice, much as he was last week.

— The Panthers are tied for first in turnover margin in the NFL after forcing five turnovers against Atlanta Sunday and not committing any.

— Cleveland, the Panthers’ next opponent, has had trouble getting its running game going. Through two games, quarterback Deshaun Watson leads the Browns in rushing.

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