LT Ikem Ekwonu wants to remain in Carolina long term but has no timeline for an extension

[Waldo]

9 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

Yeah, you want actual Panthers fans to succeed. Same with poor Will Levis a few years ago. You just wish the local ACTUAL Panthers fans(very rare in the first place), pan out. 

But, alas, it is what it is.

I don't know if it is as simple as having Ikey switch to RT immediately. I think the cleanest switch would have been to attempt that for him as a LG. But, we spent a fuging shitload of dough on our IOL.

Yeah LG is an obvious fit but that's over. It's get better and stay at LT, overpay a meh passblocking LT, give him a shot when Moton misses a game or just trade him and try again if no meaningful improvement again. No one knows if it's simple until they try. Just like Gross he is smart so that's a positive but it's a long shot for sure. Moton will miss a game this year, just a few if we are re lucky. BC was graded well as a LT so it's not a bonkers move if they try it...again if he is even on board with trying.

[Waldo]

12 hours ago, tukafan21 said:

My point isn't about being sold on Ickey as a forever LT, it was that he's already more than proven that he's not one of those guys who "has no business of being out there at all" as if he was that, we'd have either replaced him or moved him to guard last year instead of signing 2 of them.

So even if they were to decide to try and move him to RT in the future when Moton is gone, you still don't move him there mid-season in the event of a Moton injury and have the backup OT play on the left side, particularly if that's just "to see how he plays on the right side"

You keep your LT there, play the backup OT on the right, and then find the best solution in the offseason for moving forward.

LT is the 3rd most important position in today's game after QB and DE/Pass Rusher.  You play your best OT on the left side unless you have absolutely no option but to play them on the right for whatever reason.

No one said he had no business being there at all just that he wasn't a good enough pass blocker to reset the LT market with a new contract. He must know it too because he is also not pounding the table for a new contract which is a pleasant surprise in all of this.

I said when Moton goes down again. In that situation some backup has to play. BC's time at LT was actually graded his best by PFF. He had a 96 grade in 2020 at LT beating out Sewell who was 95ish. The position the backup played in school ttoo. Which is wild because no one wanted him this year amd even the Panthers only signed him for 1 year. I don't know the breakdown of that year but Ickey is a beast in run blocking and weak in pass protection which completely erodes your entire stance of keeping him there to protect the QB when that's the issue in the first place in all of this.

Your being overdramatic and not looking at the total situation. It's not like I said just do it for fun but when Moton goes down again and some backup has to play. If Ickey was that pivotal they would have him locked up longterm but instead they are waiting and seeing with the 5th year option now.

[kungfoodude]

2 hours ago, Waldo said:

Yeah LG is an obvious fit but that's over. It's get better and stay at LT, overpay a meh passblocking LT, give him a shot when Moton misses a game or just trade him and try again if no meaningful improvement again. No one knows if it's simple until they try. Just like Gross he is smart so that's a positive but it's a long shot for sure. Moton will miss a game this year, just a few if we are re lucky. BC was graded well as a LT so it's not a bonkers move if they try it...again if he is even on board with trying.

BC is what he is, a backup caliber player. Hence why this offseason when he was available, there was basically zero interest from the other 31 NFL teams. I am glad to have BC back as a valuable depth guy but he would get his lunch eaten as a 17 game starter. That's why he is still here as a backup.

He is not anything close to an answer at LT or RT. If we move on from Moton and/or Ikey, there has to be a valid replacement.

[Icege]

2 hours ago, Waldo said:

No one said he had no business being there at all just that he wasn't a good enough pass blocker to reset the LT market with a new contract. He must know it too because he is also not pounding the table for a new contract which is a pleasant surprise in all of this.

I said when Moton goes down again. In that situation some backup has to play. BC's time at LT was actually graded his best by PFF. He had a 96 grade in 2020 at LT beating out Sewell who was 95ish. The position the backup played in school ttoo. Which is wild because no one wanted him this year amd even the Panthers only signed him for 1 year. I don't know the breakdown of that year but Ickey is a beast in run blocking and weak in pass protection which completely erodes your entire stance of keeping him there to protect the QB when that's the issue in the first place in all of this.

Your being overdramatic and not looking at the total situation. It's not like I said just do it for fun but when Moton goes down again and some backup has to play. If Ickey was that pivotal they would have him locked up longterm but instead they are waiting and seeing with the 5th year option now.

Icky's pass blocking has been a work in progress since he's entered the league, but this team is also looking to have a balanced, run-first offense. It's difficult for me to put such a premium on his pass-blocking with that in mind. If his run-blocking stays in the top-15 and his pass-blocking grade climbs into the top-30 then he's gotta be retained imo.

Edited 12 hours ago by Icege

[Waldo]

16 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

BC is what he is, a backup caliber player. Hence why this offseason when he was available, there was basically zero interest from the other 31 NFL teams. I am glad to have BC back as a valuable depth guy but he would get his lunch eaten as a 17 game starter. That's why he is still here as a backup.

He is not anything close to an answer at LT or RT. If we move on from Moton and/or Ikey, there has to be a valid replacement.

I know but when Moton goes down a backup has to play still. I never said he was but when a backup has to play was all I ever said. Does anyone think Moton is playing all 17 games?

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I know but when Moton goes down a backup has to play still. I never said he was but when a backup has to play was all I ever said. Does anyone think Moton is playing all 17 games?

If the rumors are to be believed, than perhaps not. I would caution that the three games Moton missed last season are literally the first three games he has missed in his career as a starter.

[Waldo]

15 minutes ago, Icege said:

Icky's pass blocking has been a work in progress since he's entered the league, but this team is also looking to have a balanced, run-first offense. It's difficult for me to put such a premium on his pass-blocking with that in mind. If his run-blocking stays in the top-15 and his pass-blocking grade climbs into the top-30 then he's gotta be retained imo.

Yeah I have to disagree. Your take is why we drafted him over other options for sure. Last year they attempted 58 % pass vs 42% run. That's not a run first offense and DC has never really even done a run first offense ever...even of that's what he has said he would do. In that case Ickey needs to keep improving but if he hovers around where he has been then it's hard to justify a top LT contract for a run first LT IMO.

[Waldo]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

If the rumors are to be believed, than perhaps not. I would caution that the three games Moton missed last season are literally the first three games he has missed in his career as a starter.

I'm never betting on a 300lbs+ guy getting better legs as they get older. Also if he was 100% then why no extension and paying him 30 mil for the year?

[kungfoodude]

20 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I'm never betting on a 300lbs+ guy getting better legs as they get older. Also if he was 100% then why no extension and paying him 30 mil for the year?

There is a difference between being at 100% and playing 100% of the games. I don't doubt Moton has some significant wear and tear, but that may not force him to miss games. TBD.

Either way, it's highly unlikely that would be a net positive result in replacing him with BC, unless Moton is completely unable to perform in 2025.

[tukafan21]

3 hours ago, Waldo said:

Yeah I have to disagree. Your take is why we drafted him over other options for sure. Last year they attempted 58 % pass vs 42% run. That's not a run first offense and DC has never really even done a run first offense ever...even of that's what he has said he would do. In that case Ickey needs to keep improving but if he hovers around where he has been then it's hard to justify a top LT contract for a run first LT IMO.

We were 5-12 and spent the majority of the season playing from behind, so of course our pass % was a bit higher last year, but this team is built to be a run first team for sure.

Despite having that higher pass play %, we were still only 19th in the league last year in pass attempts.

You don't invest like we did in OL, particularly ones who are better run than pass blockers, re-sign your RB to a Top RB 10 contract, and then go out and sign another 1,000 yard rusher from last year, if you don't want to be a run first team.

[Waldo]

2 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

There is a difference between being at 100% and playing 100% of the games. I don't doubt Moton has some significant wear and tear, but that may not force him to miss games. TBD.

Either way, it's highly unlikely that would be a net positive result in replacing him with BC, unless Moton is completely unable to perform in 2025.

The enevitable has already begun last season. Again for a game or 3 like last year as a backup. No one in the NFL wants BC as a starter and I guess he is the backup. who said anything about replacing him with BC? BC is just the backup and like you said no one wants him.

[Waldo]

4 minutes ago, tukafan21 said:

We were 5-12 and spent the majority of the season playing from behind, so of course our pass % was a bit higher last year, but this team is built to be a run first team for sure.

Despite having that higher pass play %, we were still only 19th in the league last year in pass attempts.

You don't invest like we did in OL, particularly ones who are better run than pass blockers, re-sign your RB to a Top RB 10 contract, and then go out and sign another 1,000 yard rusher from last year, if you don't want to be a run first team.

Same thing for DC when they won down in Tampa. He has always been pass first and even trying to prop Byce up he was more 50/50 than run first. They passed the ball 58.71% on first down. That is not run first and the first 3 quarters even being down still has plenty of time for running.

Hunt is a better run blocker and Lewis is a better pass blocker in 24. They did not in fact go out and get 2 better run blockers than pass blockers. It's more common to have better pass blockers than run blocking on the left and the inveres on the right historically where now the best RTs almost get paid as much as LTs and are expected to be better pass blockers now than historally because of the shift to a pass dominating league with the rule changes over the last 20 years.

[UnluckyforSome]

The left tackle's job though is primarily to protect the qb. That is why it is considered a premium position, especially compared to right tackle. We knew when we drafted him he was deficient in pass blocking. So I guess we just hope that somehow he gets better. It's not my money to spend, so I am not going to be too upset if he does get a market setting deal at left tackle. It's entirely a problem of our own making. Since it is such a premium position, top notch left tackles rarely see free agency, older guys, has-beens and never weres mostly.