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.
The Jets are set to get a good deal of work in against opposing teams during training camp this summer.
Head coach Robert Saleh said at a press conference on Wednesday that the team is planning to hold joint practices before all three of their preseason games this summer.
The Jets host the Commanders on August 10 and they’ll travel to Carolina to face the Panthers for the second game, although the time and date for that contest have not been set yet. They will then be the designated home team for their annual summer matchup with the Giants on August 24 at MetLife Stadium.
The details of the practice sessions have not been announced, but having the opportunity to work with other teams will likely impact the way the team deploys its players during the preseason games.
Former NFL pass rusher Greg Hardy continues to appear from time to time in the fight game. He recently disappeared into the ropes and then onto the mat.
Hardy, who had a 3-0 record as a pro boxer, was knocked out in a Texas Combat League match on Thursday night.
Patrick Mailata flattened Hardy k
The 35-year-old Hardy previously participated in MMA events, posting a 7-5 record. He was dumped by the UFC in 2022.
In 2023, Hardy was knocked out in a bareknuckle boxing contest.
He last played in the NFL in 2015 for the Cowboys, a year after missing most of the season on the Commissioner Exempt list, due to domestic violence allegations.
In 2014, he had 13.0 sacks. Despite having six sacks in 12 games during his one season with the Cowboys, he reached the end of the road in pro football.
The Ravens cut defensive lineman Bravvion Roy, according to the NFL’s transactions report.
He spent last season on the practice squad in Baltimore but did not play a game.
The Panthers made him a sixth-round pick in 2020, and he has appeared in 45 games with 15 starts, all with Carolina. In 2022, he totaled 17 tackles, a quarterback hit, three passes defensed and an interception.
He also has spent time with the Bears.
Roy has played 1,059 defensive snaps and 123 on special teams in his career.
As the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was a major disappointment last season. But he hasn’t lost the confidence of his receivers.
“He’s a great quarterback,’' Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson said, via ESPN. “Accurate. Smart. He knows how to get his guys in position. Whenever we’re out there, you can always count on him to get us in the right spot and make sure everybody knows what they’re doing.’'
Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble said Young is noticeably more confident this year than he was last year.
“He’s throwing the ball with confidence,’' he said. “He’s not worried about a thousand things like last year. . . . So you can see that swag confidence. It’s exciting, man.’'
It would be easy for a player to lose confidence after a rookie season like Young had. And it would be easy for a team to lose confidence in its franchise quarterback after a season like Young’s 2023. But all the noise coming out of Carolina this offseason suggests that there’s still a belief within the Panthers that Young is the right man for the job.