The Panthers are still waiting on Ikem Ekwonu, and the longer this drags on, the bigger the question becomes: will Carolina be the team that keeps him?
Ekwonu, the Panthers’ starting left tackle, has been out since suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during the team’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January. He has not played in a game this season while working back from the injury, and there’s still no firm timetable for his return.
Head coach Dave Canales said recently that Ekwonu is making progress, but he has not offered a date for when the 26-year-old will be back on the field. Carolina would like to get him into a game before the season ends, both to see where he stands and to let Ekwonu show he can still play at a high level.
That matters because Ekwonu’s future is not settled. The Panthers have him under contract for the rest of the season, but his deal is set to expire afterward. Carolina picked up his fifth-year option in April 2025, which kept him under contract through the 2026 season, but the possibility of a longer-term agreement still hangs in the balance.
Bleacher Report has Ekwonu ranked as the No. 46 potential free agent for 2027, and Kristopher Knox wrote that other teams could be interested if he comes back healthy. At 26, he still profiles as a long-term answer at left tackle for someone. The catch is obvious: any team looking at him will have to weigh the knee injury he suffered in January and the fact that he has yet to return this season.
Ekwonu was the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has been Carolina’s starting left tackle for the past four seasons. He has also been the player protecting Bryce Young’s blind side since Young entered the NFL in 2023.
The Panthers, though, can’t afford to treat this as a simple wait-and-see situation. They already have enough trouble on the offensive line, and losing clarity at left tackle after the season would only add to the mess.
Carolina signed Rasheed Walker in free agency to fill in while Ekwonu recovers, but Walker’s issues in pass protection were exposed in the loss to Denver. On one key play, Walker was beaten by Nik Bonitto, who forced a sack-fumble on Bryce Young and recovered the ball. That turnover effectively shut the door on any comeback hopes.
The Panthers do have another young tackle in Monroe Freeling, whom they drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He is currently listed at right tackle.
But having Freeling on the roster doesn’t automatically mean Carolina is ready to move on from Ekwonu. That decision will depend on how Ekwonu looks once he finally gets back on the field.
For now, both sides seem to want the same thing. Ekwonu wants to stay in Carolina, and general manager Dan Morgan wants to keep him. Morgan has already made clear that he wants Ekwonu to remain with the Panthers, though no long-term deal has been announced.
Still, if Ekwonu reaches free agency, the Panthers could find themselves in a bidding war they don’t want. Another team might simply be willing to pay more for a starting left tackle.
So the next step is simple, even if the stakes are not: Carolina needs Ekwonu back on the field. After that, the Panthers can start figuring out whether he’s part of their future or a player other teams end up chasing.
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