Sunday was Brooks’ third game of the season after previously being sidelined while recovering from his previous knee injury.

Carolina selected the Texas product with a second-round pick in this year’s draft, and he has yet to make a significant impact.

He gained seven yards on two carries in his first game against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 24th and added six carries for 18 yards and three catches for 23 yards last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Still, the Panthers clearly saw his potential when they selected him with a second-round pick even though he was dealing with a torn ACL.

Brooks ran for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 25 catches for 286 yards and a score as a receiver in 11 games in his final season with the Longhorns. He ran for more than 100 yards in six of those games and more than 90 yards in eight of them.

Carolina still has Chuba Hubbard at running back for the immediate future, but this is more about the future.

The NFC South team is coming off a losing 3-9 season, but Brooks expects to be an important part of the offense for years to come. However, he will now have to take a break as he struggles with a second serious knee injury in 13 months.