The Carolina Panthers turned their biggest weakness into their greatest strength in one offseason

Matt Alquiza | Aug 22, 2024

Jul 30, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Offensive line drill during training camp at Carolina Panthers Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Feel free to call me crazy, I probably deserve it, but I believe that the Carolina Panthers offensive line will be a legitimate strength in 2024. If things break right, I believe that the offensive line unit will be the team's biggest (literally and figuratively) strength in 2024.

Nothing went well for the Panthers in 2023. The quarterback struggled, the receivers failed to get open, the defense, although a top-five unit in yards allowed, struggled mightly in competitive situations. Chief among all of those problems and likely the genesis of many others was the inconsistent offensive line.

Eleven different players started across all five positions, with eight of those players starting at one of the two guard positions. The interior offensive line positions were a turnstile of players rotating in and out of the lineup due to injuries and ineffectiveness when healthy. Right tackle Taylor Moton was consistent as usual, but his partner at left tackle, Ikem Ekwonu, left much to be desired in his second NFL season.

New general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales saw the offensive line as a glaring deficiency of an already weak roster and went to work. The Panthers made two splashes early in free agency, signing 662 points of veteran guard play in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. The two interior offensive linemen will flank Austin Corbett, a former guard transitioning to play center for the first time in his illustrious NFL career. Those three newcomers represent a seismic shift in talent, experience, and potential from the interior trio that started in week eighteen of 2023 for the Panthers.

On paper, the starting group of lineman is lightyears ahead of what Carolina finished last season with. It doesn't stop there. The addition of Yosh Nijman in free agency and the return of Brady Christensen from injury give the Panthers two versatile pieces that can plug and play anywhere on the line.

Christensen was drafted as a left-sided player that could rotate between guard and tackle. His 2022 rookie season alongside Ikem Ekwonu on the left side was impressive, and the re-run in 2023 was cut short by a bicep injury in week one, landing him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Nijman, entering his fifth year as a professional, has started games at both tackle spots. A true swing tackle that can give a franchise valuable reps at either spot in a pinch.

Coaching this improved unit up is long-time offensive line guru Joe Gilbert. The Panthers' newest offensive line coach made the move from Tampa Bay to Charlotte with Dave Canales, bringing 37 years of coaching experience and a Super Bowl ring with him. In his first media availability of the preseason earlier this week, Gilbert spoke glowingly about his offensive line, but he knows that talk is cheap. Gilbert is well aware that results need to follow the hype that the offensive line has garnered this offseason, joking that he wouldn't be at the podium again if the experiment failed.

They'll be tested early. The New Orleans Saints boast a deep stable of pass rushers looking to test the Panthers revamped offensive line in week one. That afternoon in the Big Easy will be prescreptive for what's to come in Carolina. The Saints sacked Bryce Young a total of eight times in two matchups last season. Anything less than three sacks allowed by this offensive line in week one would be a boon for an offense that needs it.

The success of the Panthers offense lines on the broad shoulders of Ekwonu, Lewis, Corbett, Hunt, and Moton. Their shoulders are broad, and their talent is rich. If those five can keep their sophomore quarterback upright, the offensive success that has eluded the Carolina Panthers for years may return to Mint Street.

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