Panthers' $100M Offensive Line Has Been a Flat-Out Embarrassment So Far

In a loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers struggled mightily on offense. After losing Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, the passing offense had few answers. The running game was almost nonexistent all day.

That made the Panthers both one-dimensional and easy to defend. The Browns put Denzel Ward on Tetairoa McMillan and brought pressure, through blitzes and regular rushes, on almost every play. Carolina had no answers.

Try as he might, and he certainly did, Bryce Young wasn't quite able to will the Panthers to victory under those impossible circumstances. It wasn't his fault. It was the offensive line's fault. And it wasn't just the Browns game, either. That line has been a flat-out embarrassment so far.

Panthers' overpriced offensive line has been brutally bad this year

Carolina Panthers guard Damien Lewis (68) reacts after a play against the Cleveland Browns | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Against the Browns, Bryce Young was pressured on an obscene 51% of his dropbacks. That is an untenable number. It was, according to Andrew Siciliano, their third-highest in a game since 2024. A reminder: the Browns traded Myles Garrett over the offseason.

Browns pressured Bryce Young on 51.0% of dropbacks, their 3rd-highest in a game since 2024.

Jared Verse had a team-high six pressures.

Nine different Browns had multiple pressures.

(via @NextGenStats)
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 28, 2026

That is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Through three games, Bryce Young has been pressured on 47% of his dropbacks, the most in the league. It is an absolute miracle he also leads the NFL in passing yards and has performed so admirably.

The Panthers have invested in the defense and the offensive line above all other things. They have spent a hair over $100 million on the offensive line, a mark that is by far the most in the entire sport.

The fact that they're allowing Young to face pressure at a historic rate is astonishing, and it's not like they're making up for it by mauling in the run game. The unit has not been good at opening lanes for Chuba Hubbard.

Now, the $100 million figure is slightly misleading. The Panthers are missing Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu, two players who are both good and represent a decent chunk of that money. But there are highly-touted and expensive players up front still, and they're all underperforming.

The Panthers were hailed for getting Rasheed Walker for so cheap, earning praise for that being one of the best moves of the offseason. Drafting Monroe Freeling was met with high marks.

Plus, Damien Lewis (perhaps the only innocent figure on the offensive line) and Robert Hunt cost over $33 million a year combined. Hunt has been astonishingly bad this year, and he alone costs $20 million.

Carolina Panthers tackle Monroe Freeling (57) during the first quarter of the preseason game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The good news is that at some point, Taylor Moton will return. But he can't fix everything. Luke Fortner, a stopgap veteran center, has been bad, and maybe he'll give way to Sam Hecht.

But regardless, it's been awful despite the investment. And it has to change if Carolina's going to salvage this season.

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