Yes, the Carolina Panthers are only two weeks into preseason play. So starters are not fully delving into offensive schemes and know that this is not make-or-break time for the upcoming season.
But with that being said, is what we have seen out of the potential Week 1 starting offensive line concerning? There is little question about that.
Just about everyone on the front not named Taylor Moton was, at the very least, somewhat of a liability against the talented defensive lines of the New York Jets and New York Giants.
Starting with the interior, both guard spots—manned by Brady Christensen on the left and either Cade Mays or Chandler Zavala on the right—were often beat during the pair of outings. And while, again, the offensive schemes aren’t in full swing, there isn’t much of a way to scheme being physically dominated by the likes of Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence.
Austin Corbett, who’s on the road to recovery from an ACL tear, returning sooner rather than later would obviously help meld that interior. But it’s still rather troubling, especially given rookie quarterback Bryce Young’s particularly small and short stature, that the group is having difficulty meshing. Interior pressure is hard to deal with, and having big men in the face of Young down the middle is going to lead to some very unproductive offense.
Much has also been made of left tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s performances, and there is a good reason for that. While head coach Frank Reich has expressed confidence in the 2022 sixth overall pick, Ekwonu has seemingly regressed from his rookie campaign.
As opposed to the better part of his first pro season, he’s looked jumpy and a bit uncomfortable dealing with speed. The hits he has allowed on Young so far have been ugly, even if one of them was a ‘communication issue.’
Does all this mean Panther fans should wave the white flag on the season and their young offensive tackle? No, of course not.
This team is still growing together, and offensive lines take a while to gel when new players are thrown into them. Having Corbett back will help from a performance and leadership standpoint and Ekwonu still clearly has all the potential he had when he was selected last spring.
Putting your trust in offensive line coach James Campen and one of the best staffs in the league to fix this also seems like a wise bet. Truly, we will find out rather quickly in the regular season whether this offensive lines has been situated.
And if not, it could be a long and painful season for Carolina’s new franchise quarterback.
