The absence of Carolina Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is more evident now than it's ever been here in 2026.

This past Sunday's embarrassing 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shed a brighter light on the struggles of the offensive line, as the group allowed five sacks of quarterback Bryce Young. And to add injury to insult, the Panthers have lost starting right tackle Taylor Moton—who will undergo surgery on his ankle—for the remainder of the campaign.

With Carolina needing some stability in their trench, head coach Dave Canales was asked—following Monday's practice—where Ekwonu currently is in his rehab process.

"Every week seems like good milestones, good progression," Canales replied. "I can't tell you exactly how close that is, how far that is. But I know that he's trending in the right direction, getting into some more individual drills where he can start to really load and anchor and do all those things.

"But it's gotta get to a point where we feel really comfortable about sending somebody at him full speed. We're not quite there yet. So, I can't really tell you, specifically."

Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon in the team's wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams back in January. He remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

In his stead has been fifth-year veteran Rasheed Walker, who the Panthers signed to a one-year deal out of free agency this offseason. But the return, even on what was considered a bargain, hasn't been great—as Walker currently leads all offensive tackles in pressures allowed per game (4.3).

As for Moton's replacement, 2026 first-round pick Monroe Freeling is expected to be inserted back into the starting lineup at right tackle.