The Carolina Panthers need to make a positive early impact during the 2025 season. One major concern could stand in their way when push comes to shove.
And this unfortunate setback came at the worst possible time.
Ikem Ekwonu's improved 2024 campaign and dominant summer left fans hoping for a genuine breakout from the left tackle this time around. The former North Carolina State standout has his sights set on a lucrative contract extension if everything goes according to plan, but his status for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars looks increasingly uncertain.
Key Carolina Panthers practice will determine Ikem Ekwonu's fate in Week 1
Just when momentum was reaching its peak around Ekwonu, the blindside enforcer had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. He didn't participate in practice on Wednesday, and the same occurred on Thursday. Head coach Dave Canales is already devising contingency plans, but Friday's session will be the litmus test before his status is officially determined.
"He's got to have a great day on Friday, that's the goal right now. We had him out there running, moving around a little bit today. Tomorrow he'll do a little bit more and then the hope is Friday to get him into an individual period, see him getting in a stance, move around, hit some bags, and do some things to be able to make that decision."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
It doesn't sound especially promising for Ekwonu. At the same time, bringing him back too early and running the risk of further damage is not an option, either.
The Panthers have a couple of fallback options if Ekwonu cannot go. Yosh Nijman, who was completely overwhelmed when tasked with reps last season, has been getting more involved at practice this week in the starter's absence. Carolina could also deploy versatile lineman Brady Christensen on the edge, which is where he starred in college at BYU.
Not having Ekwonu is far from ideal, especially considering the Jaguars have two formidable edge rushers in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. They'll smell blood in the water and will attack the left-hand side frequently to expose this potential weakness. That's going to make things extremely complicated for quarterback Bryce Young unless Nijman or Christensen raise their performance levels accordingly.
This won't be a long-term absence if Ekwonu is unavailable at EverBank Stadium this weekend. Even so, it does nothing to enhance Carolina's chances of picking up a notable success at the first time of asking in Canales' second season.
Friday will be telling, but fans shouldn't get their hopes up.