Perhaps it's too far to call it a "necessary evil," but the Carolina Panthers' selection of offensive tackle Monroe Freeling in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft wasn't exactly the ******* iest choice.
Despite the pre-draft buzz that built up for names such as wide receiver KC Concepcion, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman, the Panthers opted to (wisely) invest in their trenches—taking the University of Georgia standout at the 19th overall pick. So on Saturday, as Cleveland Browns fans watched Concepcion speed his way into the end zone and Chicago Bears fans watched Thieneman fly around their defense, the Carolina faithful may have had a little less fun trying to see how their first-rounder fared in his preseason debut.
To perhaps gain some sort of clarity on Freeling's performance, we turn to Pro Football Focus and their film-based ******* ysis. And according to their evaluation of his 10-snap appearance as the starting right tackle, the young hog molly has room to improve.
The sample-sized outing yielded an overall offensive grade of 53.1, which ranks 33rd out of the 39 players on the unit. When cut down to Panthers who recorded at least 10 offensive snaps in the 29-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he ranks 28th out of 34.
When it comes to pass blocking, Freeling earned a 39.4—the fourth-lowest on the team. He was charged with two pressures (two hurries) on six opportunities.

#freeling

Going into training camp, the most critical position battle for the Carolina Panthers was supposed to be the left tackle competition between veteran Rasheed Walker and first-round pick Monroe Freeling. But fate had other ideas, as longtime starting right tackle Taylor Moton was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung—a development that has kicked Freeling over to Moton's spot and, effectively, ended that battle on the blindside.
But another major injury has bred another competition.
Last Wednesday, rookie wideout Chris Brazzell II went down with an LCL tear. The third-rounder will now miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign, and his setback may have given way to a fresh matchup for the No. 3 spot in the receiver room.
ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler lists that fight—between Xavier Legette and David Moore—as Carolina's biggest position battle of the summer. Fowler writes:
Legette, a first-round pick in 2024, entered camp with heat on him after a subpar start to his pro career. This camp, Letette is well-positioned to win the third receiver job opposite Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen **** er. The Panthers view Legette at his best when playing fast, and they don't want to overload his plate as a result. But Moore has been with head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik every step of the way, from Seattle to Tampa Bay to Carolina. He is trusted and reliable. If Legette slips, Moore -- who should have a role regardless -- can step into a larger one.

#camp #panthers

Good evening Panthers fans! We're into training camp and a lot of information is floating around the internet. I'm here to try and highlight some pieces I think fans want to know about and just help you keep up with all the happenings in general! This is not an all encompassing piece, so if there's something that happened that you find interesting/exciting, feel free to share below!
One day into training camp, and the Panthers have lost their first casualty for the season, and it was their promising young 2025 2nd round pick, EDGE Nic Scourton. Scourton appeared primed to have a big role on this front seven opposite Jaelen Phillips, but we're going to have to wait til 2027 as Scourton went down with what appeared to be a severe knee injury early in the day. Speculation was it was very serious due to how he and the players around him reacted, and sure enough, its a torn ACL. Horrible news for the Panthers, sending best wishes to Nic on a speedy and healthy recovery.
Running back Jonathon Brooks practiced in training camp for the first time in his career (shout-out to Mike Kaye for that factoid). While I know many fans have been skeptical of his health, he appears primed to have a significant role in the offense if this direction continues.
The Panthers have officially announced rookie first round pick Monroe Freeling will be starting at right tackle to start the year given the medical issue keeping Taylor Moton out. Initially, Freeling was set to enter a competition with Rasheed Walker at left tackle, but the team quickly created a new plan for Moton's absence.
Dave Canales said OL Brady Christensen "looked good" in his first training camp action back with the team. Christensen is coming off a torn Achilles last season, but he may be needed sooner than later if the Panthers injury luck continues.

#panthers #fans #we 're

The Panthers are set to open the season without either of their starting offensive tackles from 2025, but General Manager Dan Morgan didn't seem worried about that during a Wednesday press conference.
Carolina signed Rasheed Walker as a free agent in March because they knew left tackle Ikem Ekwonu had a long rehab ahead of him after tearing his patellar tendon, but news this week that right tackle Taylor Moton is dealing with a blood clot in his lung came as a surprise. Moton is expected to be out into the regular season and that puts first-round pick Monroe Freeling on track to start on that side of the offensive line.
Freeling played left tackle at Georgia and he appeared set to play an apprentice role as a rookie, but Morgan said he feels comfortable with how things are currently taking shape up front.
"I think we’ll be covered there," Morgan said, via the team's website. "We feel good about it, and I know T-Mo will definitely support Monroe there at right tackle and teach him all he knows. So, yeah, we feel good about it. I think that's why depth matters so much in this league. And drafting Monroe and taking the best player available, it happened to be a tackle, it worked out really well for us. So we feel really good about him. We're confident in him, and I know he's going to attack it and he's going to be out there competing."
The Panthers also have a new center in Luke Fortner and the offensive line will have to gel over the coming weeks for the team to get off on the right foot come September.

#monroe #offensive #right #panthers

Before Tuesday, the main event for the Carolina Panthers' 2026 installment of training camp was likely to be a heavyweight bout at a heavyweight position. But the outlook changed drastically, when news of right tackle Taylor Moton's medical issue became public.
The team had announced yesterday afternoon that the 30-year-old veteran was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung back in late June. And while Moton, per Panthers.com, has been responding well to treatment, the offensive pillar is expected to miss time into the regular season.
That forecast turned our aforementioned main event on its head, as the projected bout at left tackle between veteran Rasheed Walker and first-round pick Monroe Freeling seems likely to be called off. Nonetheless, one of those combatants may still have to put up a fight this summer.
Here are our four most important position battles to watch at Panthers training camp . . .
Now that Moton is shelved, the Panthers are very likely heading into the new campaign without either of their starting tackles. He'll sit out with left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is still recovering from his torn patellar tendon.

#moton #main

The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that starting right tackle Taylor Moton has a blood clot in one of his lungs and is expected to miss time in the regular season.
Moton was diagnosed with the condition in June. Per the team, he's been on blood thinners since and has responded well to treatment. For now, the Panthers have placed Moton on the reserve/non-football injury list.
It's not clear how long the condition will sideline Moton, but the Panthers are expected to start the season without a stalwart of their offensive line. A second-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2017, Moton has started all but four games for Carolina in the last eight seasons.
The state of Carolina's offensive line looms large in 2026 as they continue to evaluate the play of quarterback Bryce Young.
Moton's condition likely clears the path for first-round rookie Monroe Freeling to start from Day 1. A 6-7, athletic tackle, Freeling joined the Panthers as the No. 19 pick in April's NFL Draft out of Georgia and projects as an anchor of Carolina's offensive line for years to come.

#draft #tackle #blood

The best teams around the NFL tend to double down on their roster strengths, turning good units into dominant ones over time as they develop into championship contenders.
Although the Carolina Panthers' roster still has a ton of work to do before they join that conversation, they have at least a couple of spots that are starting to look awfully good compared to the competition.
Let's review each position group on the Panthers' roster right now, ranking them from best to worst going into 2026.
The Panthers are paying for the most expensive offensive line in the league this year, and they should be getting their money's worth.
This offseason, general manager Dan Morgan went out of his way to upgrade this unit's depth—bulking up the blindside by signing former Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker and drafting Georgia’s Monroe Freeling with this year’s 19th overall pick. He also added veteran Luke Fortner and fifth-rounder Sam Hecht at center.