Three games into the season, the Panthers’ offensive line has already reached the point where change feels less like a debate and more like a test Carolina needs to run.
The spot drawing the most attention is center, where Luke Fortner has struggled through the opening stretch. According to PFF, he owns a 52.1 overall grade and a 40.6 pass-blocking grade in those three games. He has also given up 11 pressures and a sack, production that has not held up in the middle of the line.
That shows up on the field, too. Bryce Young has been dealing with too much heat straight up the gut, and Sunday’s game against Cleveland was the roughest example yet. Young was pressured on 51 percent of his dropbacks in that game.
Not all of that lands on Fortner alone. Monroe Freeling has also been part of the problem, and the line as a whole had a rough afternoon in Cleveland. Still, the center position has become hard to ignore.
That is why Sam Hecht deserves a look. Carolina spent a fifth-round pick on him, and the appeal was obvious when the Panthers made the selection. He started 25 games at Kansas State, picked up All-Big 12 honors, and did not allow a sack or quarterback hit in his final season.
Hecht has barely been on the field so far, logging just 11 offensive snaps. That makes it impossible to say he is definitely better than Fortner. It also means Carolina does not really know what it has in him yet.
Maybe a start would be messy. Maybe it would confirm that Fortner is still the better option. But if that happens, at least the Panthers would have some real information instead of guesses.
If Fortner were holding up well, this would not even be a conversation. He is not, and after three games there is enough there to justify giving the rookie a chance.
Let Hecht start. Let him work through a full game with Bryce Young and the first unit.
Maybe it turns into something. Maybe it doesn’t.
In Other News...
Bryce Young Suddenly Has A New Panthers Safety Valve
The Panthers are trying to steady things after a 1-2 start and a loss to Cleveland, and the timing is not exactly ideal. With starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson now on injured reserve and left guard Damien Lewis expected to miss time with an elbow injury, Carolina is dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball while trying to keep Bryce Young moving forward after a promising first few weeks.
One reason the offense has looked more equipped to help him has been the growing role of the tight ends, with Darren Waller getting more involved than Carolina has typically leaned on in recent seasons. Young has thrown for 939 yards and seven touchdowns so far, and the expanded use of tight ends gives the quarterback another outlet as the Panthers try to protect a young offense that is still searching for consistency. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Have One More Option As Lions Availability Questions Grow
The Panthers got a little healthier on Thursday, and the timing matters with Detroit coming to town. Wide receiver Jalen Coker, who has been working through a quadriceps injury, was upgraded to limited participation, giving Carolina at least another possibility on a depth chart that has been watched closely all week. He is listed as questionable, but the move was still part of a broader uptick in practice activity for the group.
Monroe Freeling, Chuba Hubbard, Princely Umanmielen and Darren Waller also improved their practice status, while Nick Scott and Devin Lloyd are on track to return after full sessions. For a Panthers team trying to sort out its game-day options, the injury report now offers a little more flexibility, even if the final call on Coker still leaves something to monitor before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Real Odell Beckham Jr. Debate After Latest Exit
Odell Beckham Jr. is back on the market after the New York Giants moved on from him following three games without a catch, and that instantly pushes his name into the kind of conversation teams with receiver concerns cannot ignore. For Carolina, the fit is easy to understand on paper: the Panthers could use more depth at wideout, and a veteran with Beckhams profile would at least bring proven presence to a room that could use another established option.
Carolina has not confirmed any workout or signing, which is where the discussion stays for now. Still, the possibility alone makes for an interesting decision point, because adding Beckham would not just be about filling a roster spot, but about weighing whether the Panthers want to chase upside and experience at a position that remains under scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]