Pro Football Rumors
Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton is receiving treatment for blood clots and will start training camp on the non-football injury list, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. Moton was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung in late June, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. He is likely to miss regular-season time, but there is optimism he will play in 2026, Wolfe relays.
Panthers No. 1 cornerback Jaycee Horn will join Moton on the NFI list after cutting his foot and requiring stitches, per Wolfe. However, Horn is not dealing with a serious injury. He should return in short order.
While Carolina dodged a bullet with Horn, the loss of Moton is a major blow to its offensive line. The 2017 second-round pick and career-long Panther has operated as a full-time starter since his second season. After securing a two-year, $44MM extension last August, Moton made 15 starts for the NFC South champions. The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ 14th-ranked tackle out of 84 qualifiers.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old Moton put off retirement during the offseason, but it is now up in the air if he will contribute in 2026. The Panthers will go most or all of the year without left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who suffered a torn patellar tendon in their wild-card round loss to the Rams. Given the uncertainty surrounding Ekwonu, who is entering a contract year, the Panthers made a pair of noteworthy moves to address the tackle position in the offseason. They added former Packers starting left tackle Rasheed Walker on a one-year, $4MM contract in free agency and then drafted former Georgia Bulldog Monroe Freeling with the 19th overall pick.
With Moton locked in as Carolina’s starting right tackle before this news broke, Walker and Freeling had been poised to compete for the open spot on the left side. Walker reportedly would have gone into camp as the favorite, but there is now a path to immediate playing time for him and Freeling. Although Freeling did not make any starts on the right in college, the Panthers have tried him there since the draft. Assuming Moton is out of commission in Week 1, Freeling may start at right tackle in his NFL debut.
