4 critical observations from Panthers’ loss vs. Browns in Week 1

Carolina Panthers rookie Ikem Ekwonu survived his first NFL test

A lot has been made of how rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu would fare during his competitive NFL debut. The No. 6 overall selection went up against arguably the league’s premier edge rusher in Myles Garrett, and on the whole, he did as well as expected.

Garrett ended the game with four tackles and two sacks, which came on back-to-back plays. At times during the contest, Ekwonu was left on an island by offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, which was always going to cause issues versus Garrett at some stage.

Considering Ekwonu was known for his dominance in the run game, the Carolina Panthers’ hesitance to pull the North Carolina State product and set the tone right out of the gate was bemusing, to put it mildly.

However, as the game progressed, we saw Ekwonu start to get more comfortable, getting a crucial block on Garrett that provided quarterback Baker Mayfield with enough time to hit Robbie Anderson on a 75-yard touchdown pass.

Fans need to remember that Ekwonu will rarely if not ever come against someone with the skill set of Garrett during the season. There’s a reason he had 16 sacks in 2021 and is a two-time All-Pro.

This first week was always going to be a learning curve for the rookie as he forms a partnership with Brady Christensen on the left side of Carolina’s revamped offensive line. Ekwonu’s learning experience was steep and sometimes harsh, but it should stand the lineman in good stead.