This past Friday, following his team's 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales acknowledged the possibility of some changes in the offensive trench. Hampered by injuries, absences and just an overall unacceptable quality of play, the unit has bogged down what was one of the NFL's most productive offenses.
So, what to do?
Here are three ways the Panthers may be able to improve their offensive line . . .
Start Sam Hecht at center
First, the Panthers need a change in leadership. If they were going to fire offensive line coach Joe Gilbert they would have done so last week when they dismissed defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero as well as their defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. So, we'll have to settle for a change in leadership on the field.
That begins at center, where veteran Luke Fortner has been a disappointment. Heading into Week 9, Fortner is grading out at 53.3 overall according to Pro Football Focus—which ranks 30th out of 35 qualifying centers.
Hecht, a rookie, might not be any better—but he certainly can't be much worse than what they're currently getting. The 2026 fifth-round pick allowed just seven pressures in his final season at Kansas State and zero sacks on a combined 850 pass-blocking opportunities over his collegiate career.
Move Monroe Freeling to left tackle
Carolina's other big free-agent addition up front this year was left tackle Rasheed Walker, who would have been a bargain if he had played at a passable level. Unfortunately, Walker has been the worst of the Panthers' five starters this season, continually getting beat in pass protection and committing too many penalties.
Walker's PFF grade isn't much better than Fortner right now. He's at 56.8 overall, which ranks 61st out of 71 qualifying offensive tackles around the league.
The Panthers have a ready-made replacement here in the form of Freeling. While he's played right tackle this year in place of Taylor Moton, the 2026 first-orund spent practically his entire college career at Georgia on the blindside, and that's where he belongs.
Canales should put Walker on the bench and start Freeling at left tackle for the rest of the season—or at least until Ikem Ekwonu returns.
Trade for a new right tackle
Moving Freeling over to left tackle does open up a hole on the other side—and at the moment, the most logical candidate to fill that void would be Stone Forsythe. That's about as far from an ideal solution as it gets, and Forsythe is, at best, a below-average backup and can't be relied on to start.
The NFL trade deadline is coming up in a week, though—and with it, there might be some tackles hitting on the market. The Panthers wouldn't have to aim too high here given their situation, either.
Some possibilities to consider include Houston's Braden Smith and Miami's Austin Jackson.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 3 changes the Panthers must consider for their struggling offensive line
