As Carolina looks to notch back-to-back playoff appearances in 2026 for the first time in more than a decade, figuring out who will be Bryce Young's blindside blocker is one of the bigger plotlines entering training camp.
It's a spot up for grabs with Ikem Ekwonu still recovering from a serious knee injury, but the club did its due diligence this offseason by signing Rasheed Walker and drafting Monroe Freeling with the No. 18 overall pick.
Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said it will come down to those two for the starting left tackle job this summer during an appearance on The Insiders on Tuesday.
"In terms of Monroe (Freeling), he'll compete with Rasheed (Walker)," Morgan told NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. "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."
Walker was seen as one of the top tackles available in this free-agent cycle. He spent the past four seasons in Green Bay, quickly working his way into a starting role after arriving as a seventh-round pick in 2022. The Panthers nabbed Walker on a one-year, prove-it deal before using their first-round pick on Freeling, whom Morgan views as Carolina's future at the position.
"To get a franchise left tackle at pick 18 like we did, I mean, it's definitely a blessing, and we're super psyched about it," Morgan said.
Regardless of how the LT competition plays out, having a pair of capable tackles would be a good problem to have for Carolina's depth. Both Walker and Freeling have experience playing on the right side, as well.
As for Ekwonu, a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2022 and the team's starter the past four seasons, Morgan said there isn't yet a timeline for his return from the torn patellar tendon he suffered in the Wild Card Round on Jan. 10, but the veteran's current progress could have him join the dilemma by midseason.
"He's making a lot of progress," Morgan said of Ekwonu. "He's working his butt off down there in the training room. The training staff is doing a great job with him. He's making progress every single day. I don't have a timeline on that right now. We're just gonna take it day by day."
Protecting Young has been essential to the young quarterback's development, which saw an encouraging uptick in 2025 as he produced career highs in passing yards (3,011), touchdowns (23) and passer rating (87.8) while helping Carolina to an NFC South title on an 8-9 record.
Young's encouraging improvements last season also coincided with the arrival of wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Morgan shored up the offensive line this offseason in an effort to allow Carolina's young stars to build off that success.
"We feel like what we did in free agency here, what we did in the draft, I think it's gonna set us up nicely going into the season," Morgan said. "I think that everybody in this building knows that you have to put the work in, you have to earn everything. We gotta earn our arrival. We only won eight games last year. We want to win more than that. We're hungry for more than that."