Dave Canales hints timing may finally be right for a recent draft pick to begin carving out a meaningful role in Panthers offense
Jonathon Brooks can finally get his opportunity in 2026 to show what he can bring to the Carolina Panthers.
The Carolina Panthers got incredible return on investment during the 2025 season with running back Rico Dowdle after signing the N.C. native to a one-year, $2.75 million contract during the offseason.
Dowdle was a solid complement to Chuba Hubbard at the start of the regular season and really broke out on a national stage during his two week run as the lead back with Hubbard sidelined due to injury. After that two game stretch, the Panthers leaned back into the two-back approach.
Even still, Dowdle finished the season with 1,076 yards and six touchdowns and set himself up nicely for the free agent market this upcoming offseason. For Carolina, it’d be nice to keep a hometown talent like Dowdle in the fold, but the Panthers are really interested to see what a recent draft pick can do with more opportunities in 2026.
Dave Canales sees Jonathon Brooks establishing a solid role in the Panthers offense in 2026
The reason why bringing back Dowdle is a tough decision is because the Panthers already have a lot of money invested into Hubbard’s contract while having two recent draft picks in Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne under contract, not to mention the new market Dowdle deserves price-wise.
Speaking specifically of Brooks, the team’s second round pick from 2024 has only played in three regular season games since being drafted due to two different ACL injuries. He’s a player that the front office and coaching staff are particularly excited to see come back in 2026.
“He is trending in the right direction,” head coach Dave Canales said of Brooks, via Panther Talk. “We had a plan not to put him out there this year after a second ACL injury to make sure that we give him the best chance to compete and to affect our roster coming into this year.
“He’s flying around. He’s big, he’s beautiful looking. The way that he’s progressed and went about his work. He’s one of the more powerful, explosive, athletes that we have. He’s going to have an opportunity to compete to start for this team, just like a lot of other guys.”
A similar sentiment was shared by Panthers general manager Dan Morgan while speaking with reporters during his end of season press conference this week.
“He’s been through so much adversity and he’s overcoming it,” Morgan said. “He’s looking great, he’s running really well. I saw him running routes out there the other day, he looked great.”
Everyone in Charlotte seems to be really high on Brooks. He brings a very different play style to the offense in terms of his explosiveness and overall versatility that pairs better with Hubbard’s skillset in a two-back system. Even former franchise great Jonathan Stewart came out this week to show his support for the young back.
Parting ways with Rico Dowdle seems to be a mutual decision
All of these signs point toward Dowdle finding a new home in 2026 and he’s going to have multiple suitors this time around after a second consecutive 1,000-yard season. And moving on his something Dowdle is comfortable with in order to have a bigger role in another offense.
“That definitely is a factor,’’ Dowdle said on Sunday. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
Morgan noted that he did meet with Dowdle and had a “really good conversation” with him to leave things on a good note. The team obviously wishes Dowdle nothing but the best for his NFL career but, at the same time, this team is eager to see what their recent second-round pick can bring to the offense this upcoming season.
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