4 Panthers players who’ve impressed after early struggles in 2022
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers players have impressed considerably after suffering some early season struggles in 2022?
The Carolina Panthers might be playing the final stages of another losing season. But the development since Matt Rhule was fired leaves reasons to believe it won’t be much longer before this team legitimately becomes a contender.
It looks like the NFC South is there for the taking long-term providing the Panthers make the right moves this offseason. This starts by securing a head coach or retaining Steve Wilks, with the prospect of a franchise quarterback and new offensive coordinator coming into the fold something else to monitor closely in the coming months.
Rhule’s cloud is no longer hanging over the Panthers, which has given everyone associated with the franchise renewed hope. It’s also seen many players come to life without his suspect coaching methods holding them back.
With this in mind, here are four Panthers players who’ve impressed considerably after some early struggles in 2022.
Player No. 1
Ikem Ekwonu – Carolina Panthers OT
Ikem Ekwonu got baptized by Myles Garrett in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Things didn’t go much better for the rookie left tackle at the New York Giants the following weekend, but the North Carolina State product’s production ever since has been nothing short of outstanding.
The Carolina Panthers placed a lot of faith in Ekwonu – their No. 6 overall selection in 2022 who was the top player on their draft board. Some early jitters aside, he’s repaying this confidence and has all the making of a franchise blindside presence that’s been lacking since Jordan Gross retired.