The Carolina Panthers burned through half a dozen left tackles last season due to injuries, most notably their starter Russell Okung, who missed nine games. That opened up opportunities for Dennis Daley, Trent Scott, Greg Little, Michael Schofield and your second cousin Jim, who all got reps on the blindside but were unable to stick.
This year, it’s unclear who will take Okung’s place as LT1. That point was underscored during Wednesday’s OTA practice, which saw the team’s criminally underrated right tackle Taylor Moton taking reps at left tackle. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a full-time move, though. Trent Scott and Cameron Erving were both out with undisclosed injuries and head coach Matt Rhule seems to think Moton’s experience on the right side is important, per the Athletic.
“He’s just got so much time put in there (at right tackle). So to go over, people could do it,” Rhule said. “But he just doesn’t have much time over there. . . But it’s something where we’re just giving him some reps. Just like the right guard sometimes plays left guard. Taylor’s a great guy, and he always wants to challenge himself and try new things, so that’s good.”
Odds are Moton would be better than any of the other left tackles on the roster, but that transition is not necessarily an easy one and doing so would just open up another hole at right tackle.
Hopefully third-round pick Brady Christensen’s size won’t be an issue and he’ll eventually take over at Okung’s former spot. He played left tackle during his time at BYU and only allowed three sacks.
