Dave Canales Provides Disappointing Update on Injured Lineman

The Carolina Panthers made several moves this offseason to bolster their offense after finishing 2-15 in 2023. 

For starters, Carolina emphasized its offensive line in free agency, signing Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, and Yoshi Nijman. Then the Panthers added a few skill position players in the 2024 NFL Draft (Xavier Legette, Jonathan Brooks, Ja’Tavion Sanders) and via trade (Diontae Johnson).

If you are a Carolina fan, you must be excited about the direction GM Dan Morgan and first-year head coach Dave Canales have taken with the offense in the offseason. 

For Bryce Young to take that next step in his development, he needs the offensive line to be better than they were in 2023, as he was sacked 62 times. 

Hunt and Lewis will help in pass protection, but Panthers fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about Nijman. The 28-year-old offensive lineman signed a two-year, $8 million contract in free agency, but was placed on the PUP list with a leg injury to start training camp.

Canales gave an update on the veteran offensive lineman after Sunday’s practice, and it wasn’t encouraging to hear entering the second week of preseason.

"“Yosh has probably got a ways,” the first-year head coach said (h/t Anthony Rizzuti of Panthers Wire). “So he’s still working through some stuff. Just kinda had a reinforcement surgery in his leg. We have to be so smart with guys coming off of these things. He’s part of our progression, and we’ll keep ramping him up daily, trying to get him ready to go.”"

The Panthers don’t have the best backup tackle depth behind starters Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu, so hearing Nijman still has some ways to go isn’t what you want to hear.

Carolina already saw their o-line depth take a hit after their first preseason game as Cade Mays suffered an AC sprain in his shoulder. The former sixth-round pick will reportedly be out for a couple of weeks. 

Canales and the rest of the Panthers’ coaching staff will hope that the rest of the offensive line can stay healthy throughout training camp and the preseason.

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