What the Panthers Should Do When All Tackles are Healthy Again

The Carolina Panthers aren't sure when it will happen, but they anticipate having four starting tackles at some point this season. Right now, Monroe Freeling is on the right, and Rasheed Walker is on the left.

Those two spots would ordinarily be held by Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu, both of whom are injured right now. Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon in January, and Moton was diagnosed with blood clots before training camp.

Moton is eligible to return in Week 5, but there's no guarantee he will be ready. Ekwonu is eligible to return the week after, but again, there's no guarantee that will be his return date.

However, the Panthers fully expect both back by the end of the season, which begs the question: who's going to start when they do get back?

How the Panthers can manage all four healthy tackles when the time comes

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

Generally speaking, a starting job is a player's until they fail to earn it, and being hurt typically doesn't change that. Since Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton were the starters (and in Moton's case, a very good starter), it's reasonable to think they're the top guys when they get healthy.

The Panthers, though have a starting-caliber replacement on the left in Rasheed Walker, and their prized first-round pick, Monroe Freeling, is on the right side. Neither is obviously just a stand-in; Freeling is the future of this offensive line.

So, what do the Panthers do around midseason when the injured starters come back? The simple answer is that it depends. If Walker and Freeling are playing well, you'd be hard-pressed to bench one or both of them.

In our estimate, Ekwonu is likely to remain on the bench when he's healthy. He is coming off a devastating injury, and as long as either Walker or Freeling is capable, it makes sense not to throw him back out there.

Moton, though, when healthy, is one of the best tackles in the sport, and his absence is not due to a devastating football injury. There's less risk and more benefit to putting him back in the lineup.

Let's say it's Week 11 and everyone's healthy. What should the Panthers do? The best scenario is probably shifting Freeling back to the left and putting Moton on the right.

Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu (79) works out during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, the Panthers have opened Pandora's box with Freeling. Now that he's starting, benching him, even for strong tackles ahead of him on the depth chart, would be detrimental to his development.

That makes Walker probably the odd man out, which makes sense given his one-year contract. It's a good problem to have, but it's still a problem the Panthers will have to solve. And someone's going to be on the losing end.

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