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The Carolina Panthers went into this offseason with one clear priority above all others on offense—improve an offensive line unit that had been hammered hard by injuries in 2025.
General manager Dan Morgan and his team definitely checked that box—signing left tackle Rasheed Walker to a bargain of a deal and adding a potential starting center in Luke Fortner through free agency. They followed that with their work in the 2026 NFL Draft—using the 19th overall pick on Georgia's Monroe Freeling, then scooping up Kansas State center Sam Hecht in the fifth round.
So, where does this new-look unit rank compared to the rest of the league?
According to Sharp Football Analytics, the Panthers now have the 12th-best offensive line in the NFL:
If all of the key pieces stay healthy for most of the regular season, then one could argue for a top-10 ranking. For now, this spot looks to be exactly right from where we're sitting.
The only problem is the Panthers aren't paying for the 12th-best offensive line in the NFL. They're paying $22 million more than any other team on this unit for the 2026 season.
A chunk of that money has been devoted to their starting guards in Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, who signed to a combined $150 million two offseasons ago. Longtime right tackle Taylor Moton also costs a pretty penny, as he's sitting on a $21.1 million cap hit this year.
While the trench has been beefed up, it'll be tough for the Panthers to get a fair return on such a big investment.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' OL receives underwhelming ranking ahead of 2026 season
Continue reading...
General manager Dan Morgan and his team definitely checked that box—signing left tackle Rasheed Walker to a bargain of a deal and adding a potential starting center in Luke Fortner through free agency. They followed that with their work in the 2026 NFL Draft—using the 19th overall pick on Georgia's Monroe Freeling, then scooping up Kansas State center Sam Hecht in the fifth round.
So, where does this new-look unit rank compared to the rest of the league?
According to Sharp Football Analytics, the Panthers now have the 12th-best offensive line in the NFL:
If all of the key pieces stay healthy for most of the regular season, then one could argue for a top-10 ranking. For now, this spot looks to be exactly right from where we're sitting.
The only problem is the Panthers aren't paying for the 12th-best offensive line in the NFL. They're paying $22 million more than any other team on this unit for the 2026 season.
A chunk of that money has been devoted to their starting guards in Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, who signed to a combined $150 million two offseasons ago. Longtime right tackle Taylor Moton also costs a pretty penny, as he's sitting on a $21.1 million cap hit this year.
While the trench has been beefed up, it'll be tough for the Panthers to get a fair return on such a big investment.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' OL receives underwhelming ranking ahead of 2026 season
Continue reading...
