4 Panthers players facing a make-or-break training camp in 2022
By Dean Jones
Brady Christensen – Carolina Panthers OL
There appears to be an opportunity for Brady Christensen to finally become a prominent starter with the Carolina Panthers after a frustrating rookie campaign. This was down to position mismanagement from the coaching staff, who couldn’t commit to the BYU product in a firm spot despite most on the offensive line crumbling miserably.
Thankfully, there appears to be a little extra clarity for Christensen entering his sophomore season. The Panthers acquired Ikem Ekwonu at No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft to become their franchise left tackle, so last year’s third-rounder could be the man to fill left guard responsibilities if everything goes according to plan in training camp.
Christensen took a lot of reps on the edge during early offseason workouts and Matt Rhule has not dismissed the notion of him beating out Ekwonu for the left tackle job however unlikely it appears from the outside looking in.
What’s important for Christensen is finding a spot and seizing it long-term. Carolina graded him higher as a guard during their pre-draft assessments, so utilizing him next to Ekwonu would provide some much-needed stability.
If the player can demonstrate enough improvements and ignore all the noise surrounding where he’s best suited, the better his chances will be.