The Panthers have found their left tackle insurance policy for 2026.
The team agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker on Friday, a league source confirmed to The Charlotte Observer. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the agreement is worth a max value of $10 million.
Walker, 26, had been projected as the league’s top offensive tackle option on the open market by several national analysts prior to free agency this week. However, the lineman settled for a one-year pact with the Panthers after going through the first five days of negotiations.
Walker will almost certainly be the first man up at left tackle this offseason as former first-round pick Ickey Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery. Walker’s arrival also allows the Panthers to be patient in the upcoming NFL Draft with the offensive tackle position.
Getting to know Rasheed Walker
Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick out of Penn State, has played in 51 games over the past three seasons. The 6-foot-6, 324-pound lineman started in all but three of them.
Last season, he logged 986 snaps at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF credited him with just five sacks allowed in 17 games last year.
Walker was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in New York in January and charged with gun possession without proper credentials, according to the Associated Press. Police said Walker attempted to check a firearm with Delta, the AP reported.
Walker’s attorney told the AP that the firearm was unloaded and secured, but Walker didn’t have a license to carry it in New York. The lawyer also said he expected the case to be dismissed.
Why Walker made sense for the Panthers
Despite officially signing former Las Vegas Raiders offensive tackle Stone Forsythe on Friday, the Panthers clearly needed to invest in better options at left tackle with Ekwonu on the road to recovery.
Walker has three years of starting experience on the blind side, so the Panthers are leaving little to chance at a premium position. The reported max value of the deal, at $10 million, is a relative bargain for Walker, especially with Ekwonu already taking up $18 million in salary cap on the final year of his rookie contract.
Walker’s arrival is a two-fold win for GM Dan Morgan. On one hand, the Panthers now have a proven left tackle, and they no longer need to feel the urge to rush Ekwonu back into the lineup this season. On the other hand, the Panthers don’t need to force an early pick at left tackle in April’s NFL Draft.
If Walker’s legal situation is resolved, and he has a standout season, he could stick long-term in Carolina. In theory, Walker could play his way into being Ekwonu’s long-haul successor, especially if Ekwonu isn’t able to regain form after his injury, which was sustained the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January.
The Panthers entered the week with just two tackles under contract: Ekwonu and starting right tackle Taylor Moton. So, Morgan needed to add multiple tackles to the depth chart for offseason program depth, at minium. While Forsythe agreed to terms rather quickly, Walker is without question the premiere addition.
With former swing tackle Yosh Nijman retiring on Wednesday, the Panthers were compelled to look elsewhere for Ekwonu insurance. Ironically enough, like Nijman before him, Walker is coming off a multiyear run with Green Bay.