The Panthers lost Ikem Ekwonu to a torn patellar tendon in a wild-card round defeat to the Rams in January, adding left tackle to their list of needs entering the offseason. General manager Dan Morgan has made notable additions at the position since then, having picked up Rasheed Walker in free agency and drafted Monroe Freeling with the 19th overall pick.
Appearing on NFL Network on Tuesday, Morgan revealed Walker and Freeling will compete to open the season as the Panthers’ starting left tackle (via Michael Baca of NFL.com).
“In terms of Monroe (Freeling), he’ll compete with Rasheed (Walker),” Morgan said. “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.”
The Panthers brought in Walker on a $4MM base deal, a surprisingly low amount for a 26-year-old with significant starting left tackle experience. Walker was Green Bay’s full-time choice on the blind side from 2023-25, during which he made 48 starts. Now entering a second straight contract year, Walker will have a chance to boost his stock, but he will have to beat out Freeling.
Although Carolina was a widely predicted mock draft landing spot for Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman or tight end Kenyon Sadiq, it prioritized tackle over those two positions in the first round. The Panthers had more interest in Thieneman than Sadiq, according to Joe Person of The Athletic, but Freeling won out (Sadiq was already gone by then). Despite only making 17 starts in college, the former Georgia Bulldog saw his stock skyrocket during the pre-draft process. Morgan called Freeling “a franchise left tackle” on Tuesday. Even if he loses the battle to Walker this summer, the Panthers at least regard Freeling as their long-term solution at the position.
As is the case at left tackle, the Panthers are set to stage a competition at center, Person reports. Cade Mays had a career season during a 12-start 2025 for the Panthers, but they did not retain him in free agency. A few hours after Mays joined the Lions on a three-year, $25MM agreement, the Panthers added Luke Fortner on a modest pact worth up to $4.75MM. Fortner has amassed 44 starts in a four-year career divided between Jacksonville and New Orleans, but he will have to fend off rookie Sam Hecht for the No. 1 role in Carolina. The Panthers spent a fifth-rounder on Hecht, who was a two-year starter at Kansas State. Hecht earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season.
While it is up in the air who will start at left tackle and center, the rest of the Panthers’ 2025 front five could begin next season intact. Right tackle Taylor Moton and the guard tandem of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis remain in the fold on pricey contracts.
They need to hold an open competition at QB as well. Young isn’t the answer & they know it.