Panthers cannot overthink Brady Christensen situation in Week 5

Brady Christensen could finally see some substantial playing time for the Carolina Panthers during their Week 5 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

With the status of Cam Erving now officially out for Sunday’s game against the Philadephia Eagles, the Carolina Panthers have been presented with an opportunity to finally see just what Brady Christensen is capable of at the next level.

The third-round pick has been sharing blindside responsibilities with Trenton Scott in practice this week in Erving’s absence, which stems from a neck injury suffered in Carolina’s disappointing loss at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

One could say this is a blessing in disguise.

Erving’s production on the edge has been woeful at best through the first four weeks of the season. This wasn’t entirely unexpected when the news of his arrival to the Panthers was confirmed early in free agency.

The left tackle position has been a poisoned chalice for Carolina ever since the prolific Jordan Gross announced his retirement after the 2013 season. Many players have tried and failed to fill the void, with Russell Okung’s inability to stay healthy meaning his trade from the Los Angeles Chargers was nothing more than a short-term arrangement.

Although the Panthers graded Christensen higher as a guard during the evaluation process, his production at BYU protecting Zach Wilson comes with a significant level of intrigue.

His record-setting grade for an offensive lineman from Pro Football Focus cannot be ignored. And, in truth, the bar isn’t exactly high given how Erving has performed of late.

There are some concerns about his arm length against speedy, explosive edge rushers. But the same was said about Rashawn Slater coming out of Northwestern and he seems to be doing just fine.

The key for Carolina is not to overthink this.

Now is the time to give Christensen a more prominent role if Erving is unavailable.

His athleticism is off the charts and although the competition he faced in college wasn’t exactly stellar, Christensen absolutely mauled everyone he came up against.

Much will depend on how much the player is developing in practice. But the Panthers seem to be taking things slowly with Christensen and sixth-round pick Deonte Brown in a bid to smooth their transition.

That’s all well and good. But the Panthers need help right now and with no willing partner in the trade market, Christensen is the only viable option.

Throwing him in at the deep end could be the making of Christensen, who seems to play with a sense of maturity that comes with being one of the oldest players drafted in 2021.

If he bombs out and the fears about him at left tackle are confirmed, then at least Carolina knows for sure. It’s the mystery that’s the biggest factor in all this.

After all, we already knew what to expect from Erving before he set foot in the organization.

Should the Panthers decide to roll the dice with Christensen, it’s absolutely vital the player makes the most out of it. And who knows, maybe he can be the answer to Carolina’s prayers at left tackle after all.