Story by
Panthers GM Dan Morgan forecasts important position battle for 2026
- Story by
- Panthers GM Dan Morgan forecasts important position battle for 2026
One of the biggest question marks hanging over the Carolina Panthers is at left tackle.
Their usual starter Ickey Ekwonu had his fifth-year option picked up last year. However, he went on to sustain a torn patellar tendon in January's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams , and is expected to miss at least some of the 2026 season.
Advertisement
To patch up the hole, the Panthers brought in a couple of potential replacements this spring. In free agency, they signed former Green Bay Packers starter Rasheed Walker . Then, they used their first-round draft pick on Georgia's tackle Monroe Freeling—who says he's determined to start as a rookie.
Who will it be? Apparently, it will come down to an old-fashioned summer position battle.
Here's what general manager Dan Morgan told NFL Network about it earlier this week:
"In terms of Monroe (Freeling), he'll compete with Rasheed (Walker)... We were lucky to get him in free agency, another guy we think highly about, a veteran who's played a lot of games in this league. We feel like we have a lot of optionality there and looking forward to seeing those guys compete."
Advertisement
There's more to the position, but the most important part of playing on the blindside is keeping the quarterback clean—especially a quarterback the size of the 5-foot-10 Bryce Young . So, pass protection will likely be the deciding factor in who wins the job.
Last season, Walker earned a solid 70.0 grade from Pro Football Focus in pass blocking, ranking 42nd out of 89 offensive tackles. Meanwhile, Freeling posted an 85.6 grade, 10th best out of over 600 college tackles in the nation. Both earned underwhelming marks in run blocking, with Freeling at 61.3 and Walker at 55.4.
If Walker winds up starting at left tackle, Freeling may still have a chance to see the field as a rookie. He has experience at right tackle as well during his time at Georgia, so he would be the next man up if veteran Taylor Moton misses any time due to injury.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers expecting to pit Rasheed Walker, Monroe Freeling in LT battle
