Panthers Enter Camp With Two Empty Tackle Spots
The Carolina Panthers opened training camp Wednesday missing both starting offensive tackles. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and right tackle Taylor Moton were each placed on non-active lists as veterans reported to Bank of America Stadium, according to the team’s official site.
Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon during Carolina’s wild-card loss to the Rams in January. He went on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, general manager Dan Morgan confirmed. Morgan didn’t set a timeline. He didn’t need to soften the outlook, either.
Morgan said there’s “definitely some optimism” that Ekwonu plays this season, per the team.
That’s the kind of quote teams give when they don’t want to overpromise. A ruptured patellar tendon is a serious injury for any player, let alone a left tackle who has to anchor against speed rushers off the edge. Morgan’s phrasing — “some optimism,” not “on track” or “ahead of schedule” — reads like a front office managing expectations while the rehab plays out behind closed doors.
Moton’s Absence Is a Bigger Story Than the Injury Report Suggests
Moton’s situation carries more weight than a routine camp ding. He was placed on the non-football illness list because of a blood clot in his lung, multiple outlets reported, with the diagnosis coming in late June. He’s responding to treatment, but he’s expected to miss time into the regular season.
Blood clots aren’t something teams rush. Whatever workload plan Carolina eventually builds for Moton will likely be dictated by doctors, not the depth chart.
Who Steps In
Morgan said Rasheed Walker will open camp at left tackle in Ekwonu’s place, and rookie first-round pick Monroe Freeling — a draft addition out of Georgia — moves in at right tackle for Moton. Neither assignment is likely permanent. Both are stopgaps while two projected starters rehab injuries that came from very different places: one from a violent football collision, the other from a medical issue that has nothing to do with contact.
That’s a lot of moving pieces up front for a team that’s trying to defend an NFC South title. Bryce Young’s protection depends on continuity on the offensive line, and Carolina is now breaking in a rookie and a journeyman at the two tackle spots simultaneously, at least to start camp.
The Rest of the Injury List
Ekwonu and Moton weren’t the only Panthers dealing with something. Defensive end Tershawn Wharton also went on the PUP list after neck surgery in May; Morgan said there’s “no timeline” for his return but he’s “optimistic” Wharton plays this season. Defensive tackle Bobby Brown III (hamstring) and cornerback Jaycee Horn went on the non-football injury list — Horn cutting his foot and needing stitches, an issue Morgan called a matter of days, not weeks. Cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau was waived with an injury designation.
| Player | Position | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikem Ekwonu | LT | PUP | Patellar tendon (surgery) |
| Taylor Moton | RT | Non-football illness | Blood clot, lung |
| Tershawn Wharton | DE | PUP | Neck (surgery) |
| Bobby Brown III | DT | Non-football injury | Hamstring |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | Non-football injury | Foot (cut, stitches) |
What It Means Going Forward
Camp is exactly where teams find out what their depth actually looks like. Carolina’s front office spent this offseason adding pieces — Walker in free agency, Freeling in the draft — that look, in hindsight, less like luxury depth and more like insurance the team is now cashing in during Week 1 of camp.
None of this necessarily changes Carolina’s outlook for the season. Teams manage August absences like this every year, and Morgan’s tone Wednesday was more measured than alarmed. But a line that was already replacing pieces now has to find rhythm without its two projected starters on the field together for an unknown stretch — and how fast Walker and Freeling gel will say a lot about whether Carolina’s offense holds up early in the year.
