Why tackle Rasheed Walker is a ‘steal’ for Carolina Panthers

When word got out that he was signing with the Carolina Panthers, Rasheed Walker heard from a bunch of people.

He received a congratulatory text from Bryce Young. His good friend and draft-class-colleague Ickey Ekwonu — who “had one of the nastiest highlights I’ve ever seen as an offensive lineman” — connected with him, too. Panthers fans excitedly rumbled in his mentions.

It made the offensive tackle feel like he was entering “a home environment,” he said.

But really, as he told reporters on Thursday, Walker is just happy he’s healthy and got the opportunity to prove what he thinks he’s been his entire NFL career:

A steal.

“I was just happy that I got the opportunity to play somewhere else,” the former Green Bay Packer said Thursday. “I feel like, wherever I landed at, they were getting a steal anyway. What I bring to a team: I bring intensity. I’m a great teammate. I work hard. And I go hard for my teammates.

“By the grace of God, I landed in Carolina. I feel like it’s going to be a great fit. And I’m just ready to do my job.”

Former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Wallace is set to join the Carolina Panthers. Stacy Revere Getty Images Rasheed Walker: ‘I’m going to make the most of it’

Calling himself a steal might be bold. But by most metrics, it’s true.

Particularly in Carolina.

Walker, 26, was considered among the best offensive tackles on the free agency market prior to the Panthers signing him earlier this month. The Panthers ultimately agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal, according to Over The Cap; the deal can reportedly be worth up to $10 million with incentives. That $4 million APY puts him outside the Top 30 among all offensive tackles in the league.

When you pair that with the fact that Walker is providing insurance for former first-round pick Ekwonu, that might make sense. But when you consider that Walker’s durability — as well as the fact that he will more than likely be asked to start a bunch of games in 2026 — the phrasing “steal” seems apt.

After all, the 6-foot-6, 324-pound former Green Bay protector started in 17 of 18 games in the 2025 season — including the Packers’ one playoff game. He had a productive year, too. According to an analysis from ESPN, Walker posted a pass-block win rate of 94% in 2025, 11th most among offensive tackles. And such durability last year wasn’t a fluke: The former seventh-round pick out of Penn State played in 19 games in 2023 (started in 17) and then played in 18 games in 2024 (started all of them), according to Pro Football Reference.

Tie all this together, and you’d think Walker’s market might’ve been a little better. And for a team like the Panthers, you’d also think that they might’ve been willing to spend a little more to get a talent like Walker. After all, Ekwonu will likely spend a good portion of 2026 recovering from the ruptured patellar tendon injury he suffered at the end of last season. Plus Yosh Nijman, Ekwonu’s backup and the Panthers’ swing tackle, suddenly retired earlier this month — flinging the Panthers’ offensive line plan into even narrower straits.

So yes, “steal” sounds right.

“I’m the type of person in any situation I get, I’m going to make the most of it,” Walker said. “I feel like that’s already a positive. And, you know, I feel like we have a really good quarterback in Bryce Young. I have some good interior guard help with me. And I feel like my job as a left tackle, I’m gonna bring that mindset (that) the team needs to get over the edge.”

General manager Dan Morgan said this about Walker last week: “We’re excited about him and what he’s able to bring. And I think that definitely gives Ickey time to recover, and when we get him back, we’ll be excited to have him back.”

Rasheed Walker, pictured here as a member of the Green Bay Packers, blocks Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Jared Verse during at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 06, 2024 in Inglewood, California. Sean M. Haffey Getty Images Rasheed Walker ‘knows what it takes’ to win

There are some factors that conceivably depressed Walker’s free agency market.

For one, a report from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily said Walker’s lack of a market could’ve been because of medical concerns. Walker hasn’t had any major injury history outside of what he suffered in college, when he had to miss the final three games of his collegiate career — and a lot of his rookie season in 2022 — thanks to a torn meniscus and bone bruise in his right knee.

Walker told reporters he didn’t know of such concerns and let his agents handle free agency.

There also might have been some uncertainty involving a legal matter. Walker was arrested at LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 23 after police said he did not have the appropriate credentials when presenting a firearm for inspection. According to a report from The Athletic, Walker has been accepted into a pretrial diversion program that will clear his charge from the record if he avoids additional arrests over the next six months.

Walker didn’t add anything about the case Thursday beyond the fact that the charge “is getting dismissed.” When asked last week of the gun charge, Morgan said the Panthers did their “research” on Walker.

However he arrived in Charlotte — and at whatever price — Walker told reporters that such details don’t matter to him. He’s just ready, he said, to get to work and continue building what the 2025 NFC South champions have already gotten started on.

“Three out of the four seasons I was at Green Bay, we went to the playoffs,” Walker said. “So I think I know what it takes to make it to the playoffs and win in the playoffs. And with the group of guys we have, and the team we’re building, I feel like we have a shot.”

This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 5:30 AM.

Why tackle Rasheed Walker is a ‘steal’ for Carolina Panthers

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