Panthers OT Ikem Ekwonu out to put 'humbling' second season behind him: 'It was a tough year'

The Carolina Panthers touched nearly every aspect of the offense around Bryce Young this offseason besides the tackle position. With Taylor Moton entrenched on the right side, the Panthers are counting on former first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu to improve on early-career struggles as a pass protector.

During offseason OTAs, Ekwonu confessed that the challenges he encountered in his second year made him reassess his approach to his development.

“I feel like last year, I didn’t take advantage of the resources that I had available to me. I feel like I kind of just, I guess, ride the coattails of that rookie season a little bit,” Ekwonu said Wednesday, via the team’s official website. “I (thought) I was at a place where I just wasn’t. So, I wasn’t afraid this year to reach out, ask for some help, go over with the guys.

To be honest, I’d prefer not to dwell on last year too much, but it was undoubtedly a very humbling experience.

In 2023, Ekwonu demonstrated promising abilities as a run blocker, but his pass protection skills were notably lacking. He was frequently outpaced off the snap, resulting in him allowing 11 sacks – the second-highest among all tackles who played at least 600 snaps. He also permitted nine QB hits and 24 hurries in the same season, according to Pro Football Focus.

The newly appointed coaching team, spearheaded by Dave Canales, Joe Gilbert, the offensive line coach, and Harold Goodwin, the run game coordinator, have expressed positive views about Ekwonu’s skills. They are confident that with the right system, he can enhance his performance. The club’s decision to invest heavily in upgrading the interior without introducing veteran competition underlines its faith in Ekwonu, a former first-round pick.

The tackle in his third year has fully engaged himself in meetings to rectify his mistakes.

Ekwonu said, “It encompassed a bit of film study from the previous year. I was mainly focusing on ironing out some inconsistencies evident in that tape… simply analyzing the things I did right, the mistakes I made, and ensuring that I’m smoothing out the rough edges.”

Reflecting on last year’s entire work, I noticed recurring issues that I failed to address as the season progressed. Therefore, correcting them is certainly a top priority for me.

In 2022, the Panthers chose the North Carolina State product as their No. 6 overall pick, despite his raw skills as a pass protector, with the belief that he could develop into a vital player. However, after two years, there have been minimal indications of improvement.

The new system, which is based on the rushing attack and incorporates play action and bootlegs, could provide Ekwonu with a greater opportunity for success in 2024. However, it is up to the 23-year-old to make progress.

Ekwonu admitted, “Truthfully, last year was challenging, with struggles in many areas. It can be difficult not to be too hard on oneself, but having supportive people always ready to encourage you is vital. They remind you that your mistakes don’t define you – a poor performance doesn’t make you a bad player. Having such people around and consistently reminding myself of their words has been quite helpful.”