Regardless of how the LT competition plays out, having a pair of capable tackles would be a nice problem for Carolina’s depth. Both Walker and Freeling also have experience playing on the right.
As for Ekwonu, the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2022 and the team’s starter for the past four seasons, Morgan said there is no timeline yet for his return from a torn patellar tendon suffered in the Wild Card round on Jan. 10, but the veteran’s current progress could have him in contention by midseason.
“He’s making a lot of progress,” Morgan said of Ekwona. “He’s working his way 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 it right now. We’re just taking it day by day.”
Protecting Young has been essential to the development of the young quarterback, who had an encouraging 2025 as he posted career highs in passing yards (3,011), touchdowns (23) and fielder rating (87.8) while helping Carolina win the NFC South title on an 8-9 record.
Young’s encouraging improvement last season also coincided with the arrival of wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Morgan bolstered the offensive line this offseason in an effort to allow Carolina’s young stars to build on that success.
“We feel like what we did in free agency here, what we did in the draft, I think it’s going to set us up well going into the season,” Morgan said. “I think everybody in this building knows you’ve got to put in the work, you’ve got to win everything. We’ve got to earn it. We only won eight games last year. We want to win more than that. We’re hungry for more than that.”