So What Are We Doing About the Offensive Line During This Offseason?

[Bear Hands]

We still have unknowns at LT and LG after all the signings and picks we've used on the line.  Christensen is still an unknown long term thanks to his injury, Icky is a unknown/needing to recover from a sophomore slump (or be capable of effectively sliding over) and Zavala looked downright bad.  Mays has been up and very down.    

Also think we need center insurance.  Bozeman had crap on either side of him, but he was pretty damn bad.  He had a great 2022, and was a middle-of-the-pack center in BAL so it's still kind of up in the air if last year was scheme or an abberation.  I can't say either with enough certainty.  

I'd prioritize:

1. 1 multi-year FA signing

2. 1 minimum draft anywhere on the line

3. New heads through the UDFA and 1-year FAs rush to compete with the underperforming backups

[LinvilleGorge]

15 hours ago, BIGH2001 said:

Ekwonu was Byron Bell level bad last year. He’s going into camp in a full on competition for his job. I’m looking for guard depth in the 3rd and 4th round which can actually be found if your name isn’t Scott Fitterer. And for the love of god Chandler Zavala should never see the field again. 

It sucks that our last two 1st rounders who were drafted #6 and #1 overall have played so terribly that they should honestly have to fight for their job in camp next year.

[SmokinwithWilly]

11 hours ago, scpanther22 said:

and do you think his line at Alabama was massively shorter than the one hes behind now and the football he was throwing there was much smaller?

Not defending his play...but some of the physical detractions are overblown imo. Yes its a different game in the NFL but Youngs problem is execution not lack of ability to execute 

It's not that they were massively shorter, but they were playing against a much lower level of competition giving him pocket time he doesn't get in the NFL. The best defenders he faced on a weekly basis are now JAGs on every team. This isn't a slight increase in the competition level we're talking about and the difference is showing. 

I'm not sure what games you were watching, bit his lack of ability is pretty apparent. He isn't seeing NFL open receivers and he's not making the powerful throws necessary to drive the ball by planting his feet when he's hopping or throwing off his toes on nearly every pass. His footwork is atrocious and his urgency in the pocket is tortoise like. If I didn't know it and you told me that was the number 1 QB in the draft, I'd call BS because at best he looks like a late rounder or udfa right now. 

As far as the line goes, BC to LT, Icky to guard, competition at center and RG and Moton stays where he is. Go find someone mean and nasty in the draft or clone Norwell. And for fugs sake, design an offense that actually suits what our line does well. 

[pantherj]

Two guards were injured, and NC State's very own Chandler Zavala played like Nate Chandler. Icky played like a backup LT on most passing downs, and had to be helped often. He's a liability. Can't have guys coming untouched from the blindside on a regular basis. 

Christensen is a tweener, he can play both OT and G. Look here for Christensen at LT:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article257307232.html

So we could do a swap with Christensen going to LT, and Icky to LG. Icky is tall for the guard spot, but we need him on the field. He's enormous and powerful. Give him a shot a guard.

Bozeman stays at Center because of his contract and because he under performed partly because of the constant o-line shuffle. He needs one more chance. 

I want Moton to finish his career here at RT.

That leaves the RG spot, and I DO NOT want Zavala over there as a starter, and the other scrub guards need to but cut. I say we draft a RG, or better yet a guard/tackle tweener. If not then hit free agency hard and do some serious spending. Then you have Corbett coming back to compete for a starting spot, and if he goes down again it's not a killer.

So we don't have to blow up the team and spend a fortune to patch this o-line up. I don't think there is any chance that Chistensen would be worst than Icky at pass blocking. The key would be Christensen's ceiling at LT, an he really needs to come through for us. Otherwise we go into the 2025 draft needing a QB and LT which would be nightmare fuel.

Edited January 22 by pantherj

[SurvivalSloth]

Ikey needs to slide to guard. I think he would do very well because of help in both sides of him. 

[Panthero]

I haven't watched enough to have a good opinion but until we fix the OL I don't know how we move on from Bryce. So much was invested in him, i don't know how the front office will move on from him. Sunk cost and all, but that's easier said than done. 

[falconlynx]

On 1/21/2024 at 12:44 AM, Mr. Scot said:

Use an offensive scheme that matches their skill set 

This is the only answer. 

Our oline will go back to being a strength with getting healthy and being under the right offensive scheme. 

[LinvilleGorge]

Next year is huge for Icky. Way too many really good former NFL OL have raved about his natural talent level. I have to believe he absolutely has the physical ability. Let's see if he'll buckle down and put in the work this off-season to become an actual tactician. Because just leaning on his raw talent got him absolutely embarrassed this year and I honestly think that's exactly what it was. He let the positive press from a good rookie season go to his head. He thought he'd arrived. Bizarrely that was the vibe from the entire organization going into this season. They had it dialed. They were about to take the league by storm. Oops.

[Waldo]

BC is a backup, who has also been on IR all year. Going in to next season with a hole at LT like they had LG this year helps nothing.

Draft a LT and C/OG. Trade Moton, his contract is ready for an extension and it's time to rebuild the mess of an oline. Look for short term free agents at RG, C and OT. Ickey to LG or RT, there is talent there but he needs a new home on the line. Trade/cut Bozeman and cut Corbett and fire the idiot that structured that contract.

[MHS831]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:14 AM, Khyber53 said:

Here's the winner. And draft some linemen with our few picks. We need depth and we need the possibility of grabbing a diamond in the rough to push these other prize hog mollies. 

And scheme appropriately. Sheesh.

I used to coach OL in high school, so that makes me an expert and unquestionable authority on all things between the Tackles.  Seriously, I was excited to get Campen, but I am also a graduate professor who works with students who are about the same age as our OL.  Campen is an old school, foul mouthed, experienced coach, but when I saw clips of him in interviews and at practice, my thought was: How is he going to relate to Ekwonu and a Mormon on the left side?  Can he effectively communicate with them?  I struggle to reach some of these millennials, so I have to strategically design lessons that appeal to their social dispositions.  This may sound ridiculous, but it is far from it. I saw young players (Mays, Zavala, Jensen, Ickey, and a few others who seemed lost.  Their mechanics were terrible (waste bending, head dropping/lunging, poor footwork leading to holding penalties, etc), they were not interacting during stunts etc, on the line, they made way too many pre-snap errors (false starts).  they telegraphed plays.  These are things I worked on as a high school coach, so I see them.  There is no reason pros should be doing it.  65  sacks, second most in the NFL? (Statmuse)  The Panthers were 3rd in the NFL in False Start Penalties with 27.  22 of those were on the OL.  Mechanically, they were terrible.  Chubba Hubbard and Miles Sanders were tackled for a loss a total of 40 times.  Yikes. 

I think we have a decent core and our focus HAS to be on WR and TE.  I think of Evan Mathis, how we gave up on him too early and he became an All Pro G for the Eagles.  Maybe Ickey is a G.  Maybe BC is a swing T (reserve) and nothing more.  If Corbett fully recovers and we have the right people in the right places, the OL might not be that huge weakness we think it is.  I think we should address depth.

[Khyber53]

3 hours ago, MHS831 said:

I used to coach OL in high school, so that makes me an expert and unquestionable authority on all things between the Tackles.  Seriously, I was excited to get Campen, but I am also a graduate professor who works with students who are about the same age as our OL.  Campen is an old school, foul mouthed, experienced coach, but when I saw clips of him in interviews and at practice, my thought was: How is he going to relate to Ekwonu and a Mormon on the left side?  Can he effectively communicate with them?  I struggle to reach some of these millennials, so I have to strategically design lessons that appeal to their social dispositions.  This may sound ridiculous, but it is far from it. I saw young players (Mays, Zavala, Jensen, Ickey, and a few others who seemed lost.  Their mechanics were terrible (waste bending, head dropping/lunging, poor footwork leading to holding penalties, etc), they were not interacting during stunts etc, on the line, they made way too many pre-snap errors (false starts).  they telegraphed plays.  These are things I worked on as a high school coach, so I see them.  There is no reason pros should be doing it.  65  sacks, second most in the NFL? (Statmuse)  The Panthers were 3rd in the NFL in False Start Penalties with 27.  22 of those were on the OL.  Mechanically, they were terrible.  Chubba Hubbard and Miles Sanders were tackled for a loss a total of 40 times.  Yikes. 

I think we have a decent core and our focus HAS to be on WR and TE.  I think of Evan Mathis, how we gave up on him too early and he became an All Pro G for the Eagles.  Maybe Ickey is a G.  Maybe BC is a swing T (reserve) and nothing more.  If Corbett fully recovers and we have the right people in the right places, the OL might not be that huge weakness we think it is.  I think we should address depth.

You may have hit on exactly the problem we had this season, and it is a generational one that stems from communication of coaching. Hadn't really thought of that before, and it explains a lot, especially if you look at the product on the field.

Just as some teams seem to age out of their best years, so too do coaches. Look at New England... Bill may have simply been the coach who went from esteemed guru with the players hanging on every word to the "Okay boomer (eye roll)" level very quickly without Brady to translate for him.

It's a crazy thing, but it's a real thing, too.

[MHS831]

4 hours ago, Khyber53 said:

You may have hit on exactly the problem we had this season, and it is a generational one that stems from communication of coaching. Hadn't really thought of that before, and it explains a lot, especially if you look at the product on the field.

Just as some teams seem to age out of their best years, so too do coaches. Look at New England... Bill may have simply been the coach who went from esteemed guru with the players hanging on every word to the "Okay boomer (eye roll)" level very quickly without Brady to translate for him.

It's a crazy thing, but it's a real thing, too.

As an educator, I can say that college kids I taught in 2003 are much different than the 2023 students.  My approach had to change--or I become a joke to them--You are farther from their worlds than ever before--if you don't keep up, you are an artifact of days gone by.  When I saw Campen on an interview, he started cursing and said that he can't control it.  People laugh about it, but to me, it demonstrated a person who feels that he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, he is who he is and is not concerned about self-control or reflection.  It is as if the job is a lifetime achievement award instead of something that you must attack like a hungry wolf every day.  He lost touch, in my estimation based on what I have seen.

[CRA]

11 hours ago, falconlynx said:

This is the only answer. 

Our oline will go back to being a strength with getting healthy and being under the right offensive scheme. 

So, play outdated football from a different era like Wilks did with them to mask their issues?  

I mean, the big picture direction of a football team shouldn’t be focused on masking what an OL can’t do.  We should get an OL that can pass protect.  The league literally is slanted for teams to pass.  The NFL is basically about finding a QB and going through him. 

[cmichd08]

On 1/21/2024 at 12:32 AM, Hoenheim said:

How do you think we fix the O-line? 

I have no idea what to think about Ikem Ekwonu. He had a good rookie year but had an attrocious season 2.  Do you swap him and Christensen? Get a LT in free agency and move Ikey to LG?? Its truly baffling at this point. 

Its not realistic to think we could replace everyone but Moton this offseason. 

At the very least we are going to need some very serious depth at the interior positions. Corbett and Christensen have gotten injured two season in a row. Having the two starting OGs missing for most of the season and having scrubs play there probably didn't help, but we also so Bradley Boseman have a really bad year as well. I'm willing to say that the only person on the line that had a decent year was Taylor Moton. 

This was  really REALLY bad year to not have a 1st rounder.  I'm thinking we might be best off trading down from the first pick in R2 and picking up another 2nd  or 3rd to get more ammo. 

Summary of contract situations for O lineman: 

** Not implying that anyone will be cut, just getting the info on the page: 

- (LT) Ikem Ekwonu (23) :   7.5 million in 2024 against the cap.  Has 2024 and 2025 left on his contract, cutting him  would be a hit of - 8.7 million against the cap
- (LG)  Brady Christensen (27) :  1.6 million in 2024 against the cap. will be on the last year of his contract in 2024, and could be cut for a cap savings of 1.3 million 
- (C) Bradly Boseman (29): 4.0 million  in 2024 against the cap. His contract goes through 2025, and could be cut for a cap savings of 360,000 in 2024.
- (RG) Austin Corbett (28 10.0 million in 2024 against the cap. Contract goes through  2026, but 2025 and 2026 seem to be voided years. -1.5 million against the cap if cut in 2024

- (RT) Taylor Moton (29): 30 million in 2024 against the cap. Contract goes through 2025. Could be cut for a cap savings of 5 million in 2024. 
 

Personally, I'd get spend a ton of time scouting o line and get two solid ones in the draft, hopefully at least one of them ends up being damn good and has some position flexibility. Not sure what the FA Oline looks like this season, Im not sure we have the cap space to pay Brown, Burns, Luvu, some others, and get a big name OL. 

If I am paying someone I would pay Luvu and Brown. Brown was a beast in the 34 defense this past year.