Rhule Sees Progress from Brady Christensen at Left Tackle

Left tackle has been an adventure for the Carolina Panthers. Not just this season, not just the last two years under Matt Rhule, but for the last eight years. For whatever reason, it has been a revolving door going from Byron Bell (2014), Michael Oher (2015), Mike Remmers (2016), Matt Kalil (2017), Chris Clark (2018), Dennis Daley (2019), Russell Okung (2020), and Cameron Erving (2021). Yes, you counted that right. That's eight different starting left tackles in as many years.

Fortunately for Carolina, there seems to be a slight glimmer of hope. Rookie Brady Christensen has started each of the last two games at left tackle and will once again get the start this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There has been some good and some bad for Christensen in his two previous starts but head coach Matt Rhule likes the direction he is heading in.

"I thought this game he took a big step from the previous game," Rhule stated on Monday. "I thought the previous game he played well, but had about five snaps that weren't great. He still has to work on some of his anchoring in terms of when guys go to power rush but I thought he was good in the run game, he was solid in the protection game. It was a good step. He has an opportunity to go back this week and play against the same team he started against two weeks ago, so we'll have a chance to see how far he's developed. I've been pleased with Brady. I think he's shown good signs."

Back in OTAs and rookie minicamp, Rhule felt like Christensen was a right tackle. That had much of the media believing that this would mean Taylor Moton would flip over to the left side. It was something that they entertained but in the very end, they knew Moton would be at his best on the right side, which is where he's been his whole career.

Prior to landing in Carolina, Christensen had played nothing but left tackle. His arm length kept Rhule from putting him at left tackle earlier in the season, so they tried him out at guard. He was up and down but you could tell he was not as comfortable playing on the inside. Since Cameron Erving has been bothered by a calf injury, it opened up an opportunity for Christensen to finally get his shot at stealing the job away for good. Although he has shown some really good signs, Matt Rhule isn't ready to commit to Christensen being the left tackle of the future.

"I'm not going to do too much looking ahead but I think for me, these snaps are really good just to see what position he is. We think he's a starter. He's had that rookie year where you're kind of figuring out where you fit and how to play in the NFL, but his skillset, his explosiveness, his power - I think all that tells us that he's a guy that's a starter. It's just a matter of putting that puzzle together. I think these games are really important to go back and look and say hey, is he our left tackle?"

If the season were to end today, the Panthers would have the 6th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Sure, a quarterback could be in play but I would be shocked if that pick is anything but an offensive lineman. This year's draft class is very deep at offensive tackle with guys like Charles Cross (Mississippi State), Evan Neal (Alabama), and Ikem Ekwonu (NC State). If Rhule feels like Christensen is the better option over these incoming rookies, then they may lean toward selecting one of the top guards/centers early on. Ekwonu could still be an option for Carolina as it seems the NFL is split on whether he is a guard or tackle at this level.

Regardless of what Carolina decides to do at left tackle, Brady Christensen will be a fixture up front for years to come.

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