$50M Colts Star Projected to Land With Carolina Panthers in Free Agency

One of the several things the Carolina Panthers need to do this offseason is identify someone they can trust to come in and be the starting left tackle for a year while Ikem Ekwonu is on the shelf.

Making an upgrade at right tackle is not a top priority, although Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame listed Carolina as a top landing spot for Indianapolis Colts free agent Braden Smith.

"Smith has been a solid tackle since coming into the league as a second-round pick out of Auburn in 2018. Smith has experience, starting 105 games over his career, but he’s also missed time, including four games this season, five games in ’24, and seven in ’23. At 29, Smith is still one of the most desirable free agents should he get to the market, with a combination of talent and excellent tape. While Smith has never been a Pro Bowler, he’s consistently one of the better right tackles in the league and should get a healthy multi-year deal."

What would this mean for Taylor Moton?

November 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton (72) during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

If the Panthers were to bring in Smith, I don't see how Moton would still be in their plans. Smith has pretty much exclusively played right tackle in his career, seeing only six snaps on the left side. Moton has 68 snaps at left tackle, and I'm not sure it's worth flipping him over there to be the one-year replacement for Ikem Ekwonu.

The Panthers do need to shed some cap space to have more flexibility to add to the defense. It's not going to come by releasing Moton. If this scenario plays out, I'd imagine the Panthers will look to trade him for a mid-late round pick, even if it's a future asset. The problem is that everyone in the league is going to know that they would be looking to move on, which could dry up the trade market for him.

Would the move make sense?

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith (72) moves on the field Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

If the goal is to upgrade the position, sure. Then again, the attention should be prioritized on finding a cheap yet reliable option to play left tackle. And since neither Smith nor Moton is likely to make the move over to the left side, in addition to the big bag you'd have to give Smith, and finding a trade partner for Moton, I struggle to see the reasoning for this move. The Panthers are better suited to keep Moton for another year and not have two new faces on the offensive line.