Panthers legends tee off on excitement for Jonathon Brooks’ return ahead of OTAs
Jonathon Brooks has two pretty notable supporters in Charlotte.
Carolina Panthers legends, Mike Tolbert and Jonathan Stewart, are eager to see the 2024 second-round pick return to the field in earnest this summer. The former running back duo — who took part in a Panthers legends golf event at Quail Hollow in Charlotte Wednesday ahead of the Truist Championship — spoke glowingly about Brooks’ long-awaited bounce-back year in Carolina.
“He came in as a horse, (but) he’s gonna be a Clydesdale by the time he hits the field,” Stewart said. “And I’m excited for him, I’m excited for the Panthers. They have Chuba (Hubbard) there to be a good mentor, brother. It seems like they’re bonding. It seems like they’re coming together. And it seems like they’ve become a little bit of one (unit) — and you kind of need that with your two dogs.”
“Jonathon Brooks is going to get his chance,” Stewart continued. “He’s had a whole year off and a lot of people don’t know what that means as far as healing — not just physically but mentally. And I’m excited for him, just because of the little glimpse we got, when he was out there with his time on the field — before he got hurt — you saw how special he was.”
Brooks, who re-tore the ACL in his right knee in 2024, missed all of last season while recovering from surgery. The Panthers had high hopes for him in head coach Dave Canales’ offense, but so far he’s only played in three NFL games and produced 55 total yards on 12 touches.
Heading into 2026, Brooks has been cleared by his surgeon to take part in organized team activities. And Tolbert, who played in the Panthers’ backfield from 2012 to 2016, thinks he can make a major impact.
“I might be the most excited for him, out of everything that’s going on,” Tolbert said. “People were like, ‘Why did we let Rico (Dowdle) go?’ And I’m just like, ‘I’ve been at practice, I’ve seen this guy in the weight room, I’ve seen this guy at Texas.’ As a matter of fact, when we drafted him, even after coming off of injury ... one of my good friends, (former Panthers running back) Fozzy Whittaker — we talked about him. And he was like, ‘He might be the best back in the league in four to five years.’ That’s how good he can be.”
“So, I’m excited to see just the potential come to light,” Tolbert added. “See him, really, get on the field and do his thing.”
Steve Smith Sr. weighs in on Chris Brazzell
The Panthers upgraded their wide receiver depth chart in the third round of April’s NFL Draft. The team selected Tennessee Volunteers playmaker Chris Brazzell with the 83rd overall pick.
Former Carolina All-Pro wideout Steve Smith Sr., who also took part in the legends golf event at Quail Hollow, acknowledged that Brazzell’s arrival gives the Panthers another specialist among the wide receiver group.
“That’s the best thing about any business — is you hire specialists,” Smith said. “You hire each individual guy that really does a good job in that (specific) area. Chris Brazzell is a deep threat, down the field, 50-50 ball (specialist). It’s not a 50-50 ball when it’s thrown to him. He can get past you. He was excellent at Tulane. My only criticism would be, in years past, some of the Tennessee Volunteers wide receivers have not always had the same amount of production in the league that they’ve had in college.
“And I don’t think this is the case,” Smith added. “But for me, it’s less about personal — I don’t know the young kid, I’m obviously going to get to know him —but I choose to not speak to players during this (evaluation) process because I like my professional opinion to be formed by watching film — not by liking a kid or disliking a kid. And more than anything, I love all of these kids because you get to see them grow.”
That growth, for Brazzell, could come under Canales, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and wide receivers coach Rob Moore. Smith thinks there are untapped aspects of Brazzell’s game that can be opened up in the right offense.
“He does have some tricks in his bag,” Smith said. “My only complaint, though, in watching his career in college, I don’t think they gave him the opportunity to show all of those tricks in his bag on a consistent basis. Some of those tricks, you’ve got to go back and watch him at Tulane. But for whatever reason — the scheme of the Tennessee Volunteers — he didn’t really get the opportunity to showcase that.”
Jonathan Stewart on the importance of Monroe Freeling’s athleticism
Monroe Freeling, the team’s first-round pick last month, will enter rookie minicamp Friday as the top prospect on the field. While there will only be non-contact drills, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle’s athleticism should be put on clear display throughout the weekend.
Stewart — who ran behind Jordan Gross early in his career — understands the importance of Freeling’s length and ability to move in space, especially in the screen game.
“Monroe Freeling is going to be able to be a huge asset to that (play),” Stewart said. “He’s a freak of nature (with) his athleticism. It’s hard sometimes when you find a guy that’s super athletic and a freak size — will that be able to translate to football? And he translated that to football at Georgia with ease. You look at towards the end of that Georgia season last year, he was a huge part of their success.
“And so being able to add him to the mix, he’s going to be able to get into space, he’s going to have the hips to turn, be able to have the feet to break down and attack these littler (defensive backs), these linebackers down the field. And have the speed to make that screen happen faster, right? Because what’s happening is defenses know when you’re going to run a screen, it’s whether or not you’re going to be able to out-leverage them.”
Freeling and fellow rookie lineman, Sam Hecht, could be positioned as starters during their first season in the league. Tolbert doesn’t think having two rookies on the line is a hindrance.
“It’s all about how quickly they can pick up on the plays,” Tolbert said. “How quickly they can adjust to the speed of the game, and get down (Bryce Young’s) snap count and things like that. ... Having two rookies on the frontline is not a bad thing, if they’re playing really well. I’m not opposed to it at all.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Panthers legends tee off on excitement for Jonathon Brooks’ return ahead of OTAs."
