The Carolina Panthers have a left tackle dilemma brewing on their hands heading into the offseason. Ikem Ekwonu may miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season after rupturing his patellar tendon during the Wild Card, an injury that is just as challenging to recover from as a torn ACL, and his contract expires at the end of the year. The Panthers brought in Stone Forsythe on Tuesday, who is coming off a season where he allowed 11 sacks as a member of the Raiders, while reserve tackle Yosh Nijman recently retired.
Carolina Panthers land top free-agent offensive tackle for 2026
Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers tackle Rasheed Walker (63) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers tackle Rasheed Walker (63) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Panthers have signed Rasheed Walker to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million. The former Green Bay Packers seventh-round pick was considered the top free-agent left tackle after ranking in the top 20 in ESPN’s pass-block win rate among offensive tackles over three consecutive seasons. Walker’s projected market value exceeded $25 million a year, but teams’ interest in him may have been dampened by Dan Moore Jr.’s four-year, $82 million contract with $50 million guaranteed, signed by the Tennessee Titans last offseason.
The #Panthers have agreed to terms with OT Rasheed Walker on a one-year deal, per me and @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/lsFGFUM0VO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2026
Here’s a quick review of his 2025 campaign
Nov 19, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker (63) at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker (63) at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Rasheed Walker regressed and had a down year in 2025, allowing the most pressures and the second-most sacks of his NFL career. He allowed 40 pressures, a 5.94% pressure rate, which ranked 14th among 32 qualified left tackles, along with 32 hurries, three quarterback hits, and five sacks across 17 starts. The comments made by the Packers’ general manager at the end of the year may have been a swipe at Walker, as he outlined the struggles of the offensive line, noted that he was in a contract year, and hinted that he might have checked out.
“It was a lot of moving parts and we never got off the way we wanted to. We had some young players playing, some guys that had moved positions, some injuries happened and some guys were moving around, some players in contract years (Walker), so there were a lot of things going on there,” Brian Gutekunst said.
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