CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — “I think we got our left tackle,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said about Ikem Ekwonu when the team announced it picked up his fifth-year option on Saturday.
“Ickey,” 24, was the 6th overall pick in 2022 and has started all 49 games he’s played over the last three seasons. He’s improved each season as a pass blocker, but his real strength is in the run game, where, according to PFF, he was 11th out of 140 tackles in run-blocking grades in 2024.
“I think Ickey showed us he’s a dominant run blocker,” Canales said earlier this spring. “I think he showed us that he is very reliable in the past in pass protection. I think he’d be the first to tell you, cleaning up some hand placement things, some footwork stuff, those are all goals of his.”
By picking up Ekwonu’s fifth-year option, he will be in Carolina through the 2026 season when he’ll become a free agent.
“I love playing with having Ickey over there and having T-Mo (Taylor Moton) on the right side. I feel pretty good about just playing ball against pretty much anybody,” Canales said.
