Ikem Ekwonu is poised for a major breakout in 2025. The fourth-year left tackle has franchise cornerstone recognition in his sights, but a cruel stroke of bad luck means the Carolina Panthers will be without one of their top-level performers in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Panthers were dealt a crushing blow when Ekwonu underwent an emergency appendectomy after experiencing extreme discomfort. The surgery went according to plan, but it left the offensive tackle's status for Carolina's regular-season opener in severe doubt.
Dave Canales took extreme precaution with Ekwonu throughout the week. He was jogging on the sidelines on Wednesday. There was extremely limited involvement on Thursday. The Panthers gave the former North Carolina State standout every chance to stake a claim during Friday's session, which the head coach revealed would make or break his status.
Carolina Panthers will have to cope without Ikem Ekwonu in Week 1
Fans got some clarity on the final injury report. Ekwonu was officially listed as doubtful for their curtain raiser at EverBank Stadium. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he will either be ruled out on Saturday or Sunday, although Canales tried to play some mind games by saying he would take it down to the wire.
Canales was also non-committal about who would start in Ekwonu's absence. Yosh Nijman has been getting blindside reps throughout the week in practice. He's an imposing figure, but his lack of consistency when called upon last season isn't exactly filling the fan base with much confidence.
There's also the option of placing Brady Christensen on the blindside. The 2021 third-round pick out of BYU starred as a left tackle in college. Although he's seen more as an interior presence these days, it's not a bad fallback option if Nijman starts and cannot contain the pass-rushing tandem of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
Either way, this cannot be seen as anything other than a downgrade on Ekwonu. The Jaguars' edge duo will be chomping at the bit to get onto the right-hand side of the defensive front and have their way with whoever the Panthers put in his place. That places more pressure on the run game and quarterback Bryce Young to get the football out quickly before pressure inevitably arrives.
Erring on the side of caution is the right call. It doesn't help the Panthers' chances of achieving an opening-day success, but if it limits the risk of Ekwonu doing additional damage, it's a small price to pay.