Panthers' Highly-Touted Investment Isn't Remotely Paying Off Yet

The Panthers used the No. 19 overall pick on Monroe Freeling, and the early returns haven't been very good.

Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers tackle Monroe Freeling (57) during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I know we're only three games into Monroe Freeling's career. I know he's 22 years old, and I know rookie offensive tackles are going to have some ugly moments.

But this has been a rough start.

The Panthers took Freeling No. 19 overall, and with Taylor Moton sidelined, he ended up at right tackle probably a little sooner than Carolina planned. He's played every offensive snap through three games, so we've seen enough to at least talk about how it's going. And so far, it hasn't gone very well.

Freeling Has Had a Rough Three Weeks

Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive lineman, tackle Monroe Freeling (57), guard Robert Hunt (50), center Luke Fortner (77), guard Damien Lewis (68), and tackle Rasheed Walker (63) line up for a snap in the first quarter during the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The numbers aren't great. According to Core Football Labs, Freeling has allowed 14 pressures and two sacks. He gave up four pressures against Chicago, four against Atlanta, and six more Sunday in Cleveland.

14 pressures in three games gets my attention.

Now, I'm not putting everything that happened against Cleveland on Freeling. Bryce Young was pressured on 51 percent of his dropbacks, and Freeling certainly wasn't the only guy having problems up front. But he was one of them.

I think that's what has surprised me. Pass protection was supposed to be one of the better parts of Freeling's game coming out of Georgia. PFF gave him an 85.6 pass-blocking grade during his final college season, which ranked 10th among qualifying tackles, and I expected that part of his game to translate a little better than it has.

Am I Worried About Freeling?

Not really. At least not yet.

It's three games. Freeling also played almost exclusively left tackle at Georgia, and now he's trying to figure things out on the right side while going up against NFL pass rushers every week. That's a lot to throw at a 22-year-old.

If we're still talking about this halfway through the season, I'll probably feel differently. Right now, I'm willing to give him some time. But giving him time doesn't mean I'm going to pretend he's played well, because he hasn't.

Carolina used the 19th pick on Freeling because it believes he can be one of its tackles for a long time. Maybe a month from now we'll look back at these first three games and chalk it up to a rookie trying to figure things out.

I hope that's what happens. That would be a fine outcome after this ugly start.

For now, though, the Panthers made a pretty big investment in Monroe Freeling. They're still waiting on the return.