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Although the latest updates on Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu were positive, the team still may not have an ETA on either player at the moment.
On Thursday, president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan chatted with reporters for the first time since swimming through the waters of free agency. That dip included the additions of running back AJ Dillon and left tackle Rasheed Walker, both of whom could serve as insurance policies for Carolina at their respective positions.
And Morgan, off the heels of those signings, was asked what that activity might say about the recoveries of Brooks and Ekwonu.
"Brooks and Ickey—they're making progress, they're with our trainers every day, they're looking good, they're working their butts off," he replied. "I don't have a timeline on that, to update you with. But both those guys, they're headed in a good direction.
"I think those two guys are guys that we're looking to add to our team—that they're gonna, hopefully, be healthy at some point. And we'll just go from there."
Brooks tore his ACL three games into his rookie campaign back in 2024. Rather than push a comeback, the Panthers shelved the former second-round pick for the entirety of the 2025 season.
Ekwonu, meanwhile, went down at the very end of the year—rupturing his patellar tendon in the team's wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams from January.
Morgan was then asked to expand on not disclosing a timeline on their blindside protector.
"Timeline-wise with Ickey, I don't have any updates," he stated. "Everybody recovers differently from injuries, he's making really good progress, he looks really good. But in terms of timeline, we don't know that."
Ekwonu is entering 2026 on his fifth-year option.
Follow our free agency tracker for all the latest moves.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers give updates on LT Ikem Ekwonu, RB Jonathon Brooks
Continue reading...
On Thursday, president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan chatted with reporters for the first time since swimming through the waters of free agency. That dip included the additions of running back AJ Dillon and left tackle Rasheed Walker, both of whom could serve as insurance policies for Carolina at their respective positions.
And Morgan, off the heels of those signings, was asked what that activity might say about the recoveries of Brooks and Ekwonu.
"Brooks and Ickey—they're making progress, they're with our trainers every day, they're looking good, they're working their butts off," he replied. "I don't have a timeline on that, to update you with. But both those guys, they're headed in a good direction.
"I think those two guys are guys that we're looking to add to our team—that they're gonna, hopefully, be healthy at some point. And we'll just go from there."
Brooks tore his ACL three games into his rookie campaign back in 2024. Rather than push a comeback, the Panthers shelved the former second-round pick for the entirety of the 2025 season.
Ekwonu, meanwhile, went down at the very end of the year—rupturing his patellar tendon in the team's wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams from January.
Morgan was then asked to expand on not disclosing a timeline on their blindside protector.
"Timeline-wise with Ickey, I don't have any updates," he stated. "Everybody recovers differently from injuries, he's making really good progress, he looks really good. But in terms of timeline, we don't know that."
Ekwonu is entering 2026 on his fifth-year option.
Follow our free agency tracker for all the latest moves.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers give updates on LT Ikem Ekwonu, RB Jonathon Brooks
Continue reading...
