This Friday evening, the reigning NFC South champions will wrap up their four-game preseason by hosting the Houston Texans . The club owns a 2-1 record this summer, somewhat notable considering the team owned a combined 1-8 preseason mark the previous three years.
Late last week and prior to Carolina Panthers ' 34-17 victory at Jacksonville last Friday, Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus identified the biggest concern for each of the league's 32 teams entering the start of the upcoming season. For Canales's squad, it's a pretty obvious choice that team has hopefully found the solution to.
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"The Panthers are currently without both starting offensive tackles " explained McGuinness. "Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the wild-card loss to the Rams, while right tackle Taylor Moton is sidelined with blood clots. It remains unclear when either will return in 2026, but both appear likely to miss at least the start of the season.
Each of these blockers could be considered mainstays since joining the organizations. Ekwonu was the sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft from North Carolina State. He has played and started 65 out of a possible 69 games, including the aforementioned playoff clash with Sean McVay's team.
Meanwhile, Moton was a second-round selection back in 2017 from Western Michigan. He played in all 16 regular-season contests and a postseason games as a rookie without a start. Since 2018, he has been in the opening lineup in 129 of the club's 130 total outings. While Ekwonu's availability has obviously been a question mark since mid-January, Moton's medical concerns were revealed in June.
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In any case, Panthers' general manager Dan Morgan was already looking ahead this offseason when it came to the left tackle issue. He added four-year pro Rasheed Walker ( Packers ) in free agency, and used the 19th overall selection in April's draft on University of Georgia standout Monroe Freeling.
"Walker earned a 69.3 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2025," added McGuinness, "while Freeling was one of college football's top pass protectors, allowing just two pressures on 469 pass-blocking snaps. Still, losing both starting tackles is a significant concern, and for all of Freeling's potential, he has yet to play an NFL snap."
To be clear, the former Bulldog did not play vs. the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game, but did log 10 offensive snaps in the team's preseason loss at Buffalo. Freeling was back in the starting lineup vs. Jacksonville, playing 13 offensive snaps, as well as one on special teams.
Hence, as it stands at the moment, Panthers' quarterback Bryce Young will be playing behind a vastly-different offensive front early in the season -which includes a new face at center as well-than he lined up with over his first three years with the franchise.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi as The Biggest Concern for Panthers in 2026 Isn't Bryce Young .
