Pass protection is a work in progress for the Carolina Panthers offensive line, particularly for left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
When the Panthers selected Ekwonu sixth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, they knew what they were getting from a run blocking aspect but also understood that it would take some time for his pass protection to be up to par.
He improved week by week last season as a rookie, but some of that can be attributed to the team's run heavy approach down the stretch. In this offense ran by Frank Reich, the objective is to spread things out a little more and sling the ball around now that they finally have a quarterback that can pick a part a defense.
Through two preseason games, Ekwonu hasn't looked all that sharp. He's allowed a handful of QB hits and in this past game against the Giants, he was beat on consecutive plays, one of which resulted in a sack.
On the sack play, it looked like Ekwonu was attempting to pass off pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux but there was no one there to pick him up. It looked like some sort of miscommunication and that's exactly what it was.
"It was a miscommunication," head coach Frank Reich stated. "It was a line call made and thought we heard one thing. It's two words that sound similar and in the heat of the battle, we heard the wrong word."
"I'm not going to really blame that on the call," Ekwonu told reporters Sunday. "At the end of the day, I've got a job to do and I didn't get it done on that play. Whatever adjustments we make, I'll take that in stride."
Reich said that they've been using that terminology for quite some time, but can see how it can be misheard. To prevent that from happening again, they will be changing the word.
Despite the troubling start to the preseason, the coaching staff's confidence in him has not wavered.
"I have no concerns about him playing winning football and being one of the true anchors to our offensive line," said Reich. "The year he had last year, the training camp that he's had...I think not only is he going to be a really good player for us, I think he's going to be a good leader. We have had a couple miscues that he's been involved in, but those things will get worked out."
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