Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked about plans for OT Monroe Freeling moving forward
· Yahoo Sports
Will the Carolina Panthers' latest first-round pick now be the odd man out of the offensive trench?
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Sunday's 25-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles played host to the season debut of franchise pillar Taylor Moton, who had been sidelined due to blood clots in his right lung. Moton—as he did in the eight years prior,—manned the right side of the Carolina offensive line, and played in all 79 of the unit's snaps.
After being moved to the active roster on Saturday, the 32-year-old was inserted right into the starting lineup—replacing rookie Monroe Freeling. Freeling, the team's starting right tackle in each of their first four games, did not suit up this weekend due to a knee injury.
So, what happens when Freeling's good enough to go? Head coach Dave Canales was asked that on Monday.
"There's a bunch of scenarios we're still working through," Canales told reporters. "T-Mo looked like T-Mo. [Left tackle] Rasheed Walker played his best game. We'll see where Monroe is at, physically, and we'll go from there.
"This is a first-round pick for us. This is a high-value player for us. We're gonna do what's best for the Panthers—and we're gonna put the best group, healthiest group out there. So that's a good challenge to Monroe—to see how he responds to the training, the treatment and to see if he shows us how ready he is to play and how we play him."
The Panthers took Freeling, a second-team All-SEC selection out of the University of Georgia, with the 19th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. Carolina's initial plan for Freeling, who played primarily at left tackle for the Bulldogs, may have pinned him to the bench behind Walker and Moton. But after the discovery of Moton's blood clots, Freeling was thrust into a starting role at the beginning of training camp.
According to Pro Football Focus, Freeling allowed 15 pressures over 161 opportunities in Weeks 1 through 4. His 57.9 overall offensive grade from PFF ranks 61st out of a qualifying 74 offensive tackles.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked about plans for OT Monroe Freeling moving forward