Feb. 28, 2026, 12:01 p.m. ET
The Carolina Panthers might catch themselves a hog molly this offseason.
Joe Person of The Athletic, in a fresh article from Saturday, offered up his biggest takeaways for the team heading out of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. As part of his notes, he reports that general manager Dan Morgan and his staff are “spending a lot of time” on assessing possible additions to their offensive line—a position group that is likely to be without starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu for at least a portion of the upcoming campaign.
Person also suggests a potential draft option. He writes:
Morgan’s “best available” approach isn’t just GM-speak. That said, an offensive tackle is in play for the Panthers at No. 19, where Alabama’s mammoth OT Kadyn Proctor could be available.
Pairing a draft pick like Proctor with a free-agent swing tackle like Yosh Nijman allows the Panthers to fill Ekwonu’s spot in the short term while giving a rookie a chance to develop before eventually succeeding right tackle Taylor Moton or Ekwonu, depending on how “Ickey” looks post-surgery and whether the Panthers sign him beyond 2026.
Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon in Carolina’s wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 10. Morgan told reporters on Tuesday that his team’s blindside protector is “doing really good,” but was unable to provide a timeline for his return.
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The former sixth overall pick will be on his fifth-year option for the 2026 season.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Ekwonu, the Panthers may also face some losses through the open market—as Nijman, starting center Cade Mays and guard Brady Christensen are all ticketed for free agency.
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