Mailbag: How will Carolina Panthers use Jonathon Brooks to start 2026 season?
The Carolina Panthers are entering the second week of organized team activities (OTAs). And their fans have questions about Jonathon Brooks, Trevor Etienne and the Chuba Hubbard-led running back rotation.
That’s why The Charlotte Observer has brought back the Panthers mailbag to answer those inquiries and much more.
Here are some standout questions from fans:
Onboarding Jonathon Brooks
Kyle asks: I’m curious what you think the “ramp up” period will look like for Jonathon Brooks at the start of the season. Do you envision him used more as a pass-catching specialist with some limited third-down work early on? What do you expect the snap share between him and Chuba Hubbard to be by mid-season?
Mike Kaye: Brooks’ “ramp up” period will come before the regular season. Look for the Panthers to test him pretty regularly in training camp, especially in joint practices, even if they don’t subject him to the preseason.
Regarding his role initially, he will probably be used similarly to Rico Dowdle in the first two weeks of last season. The team believes Hubbard can still be a workhorse, and he will probably take the lion’s share of the touches out of the backfield early on.
Hubbard received 19 total touches in Jacksonville in Week 1 last season, while Dowdle and Etienne combined for six. In Week 2 against Arizona, Hubbard had 15 touches, while Dowdle and Etienne combined for eight. Hubbard receiving 60% of the share, while Brooks (and possibly Etienne) take the rest of the touches would be a plausible scenario based on head coach Dave Canales’ previous running back rotations.
If Brooks proves that he can stay durable and handle a consistent workload during the first month of the season, perhaps Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will adjust the rotation after the Week 5 bye. Eventually, if he can stay on the field, it’d be fair to expect Brooks to even up his looks with Hubbard.
Brooks shouldn’t be limited to just pass-catching and third-down work, regardless of the timing of the season. This is year three of Brooks’ rookie contract, and the Panthers should be seeking to get as much out of their 2024 second-round pick as possible. Obviously, they’ll need to be smart with him, but they also can’t just keep the training wheels on him.
At the center of the Panthers’ offensive line
Sam asks: Do you think Luke Fortner or Sam Hecht starts at C for Week 1? (Or the GOAT Nick Samac)?
Right now, based on the way Canales has discussed the position, it feels like Fortner will be the bridge starter heading into training camp. While Hecht and Samac will get opportunities to dethrone Fortner, the veteran lineman, at the very least, knows what he’s doing.
Hecht, a fifth-round pick, has the makeup of an eventful starter in the NFL. He’s athletic and technique-driven. However, Fortner has four years of experience and plenty of NFL starts under his belt. With this being a huge season for Canales, Idzik and quarterback Bryce Young, the trio might prefer to have an established veteran snapping the ball in 2026, at least to begin with.
If Fortner falters, the Panthers will have Hecht waiting to take over. Forcing Hecht out there in Week 1, only to bench him if he struggles, would be poor process. So, the odds seem to be in Fortner’s favor before the pads come on. If Hecht (or Samac) excels in joint practice and/or the preseason, the conversation could justifiably change.
What about Trevor?
Richaun asks: What do you see as Trevor Etienne’s role this year? Any buzz about him in camp?
The pads aren’t on, so it’s hard to build up a ton of buzz this early on in the process as a running back. That said, there is internal optimism about the second-year playmaker, even if his rookie returns weren’t particularly compelling.
Etienne is going to need to battle to retain the punt and kick returner jobs this season. While he’s very likely to hang onto one of the two kick returner posts, the Panthers might be inclined to switch up the punt duties, especially with David Moore and Xavier Legette healthy again.
On offense, Etienne’s role will probably be dictated by Brooks’ durability. If Brooks is healthy, he will be the 1B running back in the lineup. So, Etienne would likely have a similar job to the one he had last year. If Brooks has a setback, Etienne could become the primary backup to Hubbard.
AJ Dillon was brought into the fold to be depth in case Etienne or Brooks struggled to step up. If Hubbard, Brooks and Etienne are healthy, it would be surprising to see Dillon claim a fourth spot on the 53-man roster. He had just 60 rushing yards last season for Philadelphia and was a healthy scratch for the half campaign.
Backing up Bryce
@youknowit asks: Who’s the (backup) QB gonna be? Kenny Pickett got it nailed down? We gonna carry three?
Barring injury, Pickett will be Young’s primary backup in 2026. The Panthers gave Pickett $4 million (including a $2.8 million signing bonus and a $1.2 million guaranteed base salary) to serve behind the starter this season. Canales has also spoken at length about wanting to be a part of Pickett’s career turnaround.
Pickett has been a journeyman backup over the past two years, but he also has two seasons of starting experience under his belt from his time in Pittsburgh. The Panthers like that experience mixture behind Young. Pickett also has the pocket mobility that the coaching staff covets.
The Panthers haven’t kept three QBs on the 53-man roster all that often under Canales. There have been some brief instances due to injury, but the team usually sticks to a two-man depth chart at the position.
It remains to be seen whether rookie Haynes King or nomad passer Will Grier can change that outlook. The guess here, as of now, is that King will end up on the practice squad as a long-term project. Grier will need a massive summer to overtake King in the pecking order after the undrafted passer was given a hefty guarantee in 2026. That guaranteed salary can be reworked into a practice-squad deal after the cut deadline.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Mailbag: How will Carolina Panthers use Jonathon Brooks to start 2026 season?."
