There’s been a lot said about the need for Bryce Young to play better in 2024, but he’s not the only Panthers first-round pick who needs to bounce back from the 2023 campaign.
Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu joined the club in 2022 and earned good notices for his work as the team’s starting left tackle. Ekwonu remained in that spot for the team’s 2-15 run in 2023 and he was part of a much-maligned offensive line that contributed to Young’s rough transition to the professional ranks.
Ekwonu was not the main reason for the struggles that contributed to the Panthers’ poor season, but he said this week that he doesn’t feel he did enough to help the team succeed.
“I feel like I last year, I didn’t take advantage of the resources that I had available to me. I feel like I kind of just, I guess riding the coattails of that rookie season a little bit,” Ekwonu said, via the team’s website. “I [thought] I was at a place where I, I just wasn’t. So, I wasn’t afraid this year to reach out, ask for some help, go over with the guys. I don’t want to speak on last year too much if I’m being honest, but obviously very humbling experience.”
Ekwonu said his review of last season showed “things that came up time and time again that I didn’t fix as the season went on” and that he’s been more proactive about seeking out assistance to make sure those problems don’t extend into the 2024 campaign. That is one of several changes the Panthers will be counting on to pave the way to greater success.